The Poisoned Crown
by Cadet Deming
Summary: Loki finds being king is far more dangerous than he expected. Spoilers for Thor: The Dark World. Suspense/Action/Romance/Drama/Humor/Supernatural Horror Incudes characters from the movies, comics, and mythology
1. Chapter 1

**The Poisoned Crown Chapter 1**

**By: Cadet Deming**

**I don't own the rights to Thor, Marvel does, so please don't sue. Rated T. Includes spoilers and possible missing scenes from Thor: The Dark World. Reviews are appreciated.**

Loki wouldn't give him an honorable death. His false father, the so-called All-Father Odin didn't deserve it. People who died in the glory of battle's souls went to Valhalla, but those who died without bravery's souls were cursed to Nifflleheim or Hel. Or was that another lie he had been told?

Loki hung back outside of the throne room, the very throne room where Odin had condemned him to life imprisonment. A crowd had gathered to watch the sentence passed upon his brother Thor's friends Sif, Fandral, Volstagg and even the mighty Heimdall. Metal shackles covered their wrists and feet. The realm's top fighters were reduced to prisoners.

He scanned Odin for weapons. Other than a sword, he wasn't wearing any. Loki sneered to himself. In a time of war, their fearless leader had the foolishness to walk unarmed.

Odin bellowed, "In this time of greatest threat, you all defy my order and help Loki escape with the mortal Jane Foster!"

Loki checked his reflection in the mirror. He had shapeshifted into a palace guard, so he could walk freely among them. He slid in to the back of the room.

The warrior Fandral was the first to dare to speak. "My Lord, if it pleases you, we were only following your beloved son Thor's orders. It was the only way to prevent more bloodshed."

Odin screamed, "Bloodshed is the Asgardian way! Only I decide who lives or dies!"

Sif muttered, "Did you decide to allow a thousand of us to die at the hands of the Dark Elves, including your own wife?"

If Frigga hadn't been one of the only people he'd ever loved Loki would have laughed, but he couldn't risk giving his identity away.

Odin pointed a finger at her, "Silence, woman. I condemn you all to the prison, in whichever block hasn't been destroyed yet. Take them out of my sight before I decide on more deaths!"

Volstagg asked, "Will we be fed regularly in captivity?"

Loki slid in with the other guards and grabbed Sif by the arm. She gave him a defiant glare. It was familiar to him as they had grown up together, even if her eyes showed no recognition.

He walked them back to the cells that had been his home for so long, listening to their chatter, waiting for an opportunity.

Fandral said, "The Nine Realms are at stake and Odin confines his best warriors. What is he thinking?"

Heimdall said in his deep baritone, "Have decency. He is still our King and deserves our loyalty."

Loki lost his composure and let his sarcasm fly, "Yes what do you think he'll do, condemn you to prison for life?"

Everyone turned to him.

The head guard peered at Loki. "I would watch your tongue. Who do you think you are?"

Loki threw up his hands. "Oh, I'm just an entry-level palace guard. Just an everyday nobody. I'm not important. Pay me no mind."

Sif looked at him quizzically. He wondered if she recognized him, and if that would be dangerous.

He led her into one of the cells.

Trying to sound casual, he said, "I do believe you're the first woman to ever be held here."

She answered tersely, "I have been the first woman on Asgard to do many things."

"Sounds promising."

She frowned, "You are quite talkative for a guard."

He wondered if he should reveal himself to her.

"I'm just curious." He whispered in her ear, "Why did you really do it? Why did you help Loki escape?"

"Because Thor asked me to."

Loki felt a pang of dejection.

"And if he asked you to jump in a frozen lake?"

"I would leap in a lake of fire for him."

"Why?"

"You really are quite nosy for a guard."

"All guards are nosy. It relieves our boredom. The chatter is that Loki is dead."

Her expression stayed neutral, as if he had announced the weather was sunny with a chance of light showers.

She said, "It wouldn't be the first time he died."

Her indifference cut him like a dagger through butter. He'd spent millennium hoping her outward hostility towards him was an expression of deeply buried feelings, but this dashed his hopes.

To twist a knife of his own he said, "The gossip is Thor is in love with this Jane Foster."

Her proud shoulders drooped and she stared at the ground.

She said, "Thor does as he wishes."

"Perhaps you'd best not spend your time pining for a man who will never return your feelings."

Sif turned away. "I don't take counsel from strange men. Leave me."

Loki gritted his teeth. He hated being treated like a nobody. He hated impotence.

He locked her in, but kept a spare key for himself. Thor's other friends were imprisoned in the other cells, jailed out of loyalty to Thor. It was the type of loyalty that couldn't be bought or forced.

It was loyalty that was waning from Odin through his bad decisions and hot temper. Loki thought he was a horrible king. He knew he could do a much better job himself.

An idea grabbed him. Originally he sought only to murder Odin and flee Asgard, but what if he killed him, and used his shape shifting to take his place? He would no longer be burdened by his past reputation and could start anew on the throne where he belonged.

He smiled and looked out the window. He would do it tonight.

Loki changed his form to the captain of the guards and approached a group of soldiers.

He announced to them, "By Odin's orders everyone is to leave the palace tonight and patrol the city's perimeter. Spread the word immediately."

A man asked, "He wants us to leave the palace open to attack?"

Loki said, "Do you want to disobey his orders?"

The men all vigorously shook their heads and scattered.

He whistled a tune as he opened the doors of the palace armory. What could he use that would be powerful enough?

His eyes took in the various axes, swords, and knives. He picked a knife made of dwarfish steel. After his wits, knives were his favorite weapon of choice. He murmured an enchantment.

Cloaking himself in an invisibility spell, he crept to Odin's chambers. Loki waited for what felt like hours but was most likely minutes.

Odin entered and took his armor off. It creaked with his bones. He seemed so old, like he'd aged hundreds of years.

Loki walked behind him, clutching the knife.

"Hello Father," he whispered.

To Be Continued


	2. Chapter 2

**The Poisoned Crown Chapter 2**

**By: Cadet Deming**

**I don't own the rights to Thor, Marvel does, so please don't sue. Rated T for violence, adult language and situations. Includes spoilers and possible missing scenes from Thor: The Dark World. Thank you to all who read and review! Reviews are much appreciated.**

Loki slashed the knife across Odin's throat. He wanted the attack to come from behind, to let his victim know he had been outsmarted.

Odin let out a raspy gasp. His vocal cords had to be severed. He should be gushing blood, but he wasn't.

Odin flailed back and grabbed Loki, pushing his immense weight into him. He may have been old, but there was still a warrior left in the old man.

They fell backwards. Loki plunged his dagger through his rib cage again and again.

Loki hissed, "Why won't you bleed? Why won't you die old man?"

Odin's voice was nothing but hoarse air. "My blood is protected by the magic of the Odin Force, you fool."

Loki pushed his heavy body off of him, frustrated that he had underestimated his opponent. Odin lunged for his spear Gungnir. Loki grabbed his leg. If Odin reached his spear Loki was doomed.

Odin kicked his face until he dropped his dagger. The pain seared and enraged him. He couldn't lose this fight, not after everything in his life building up to it. Odin's strength and experience won out as he pulled away from him and hobbled forward, clutching his throat.

Loki projected an illusion of himself grabbing Gungnir and pointing it at Odin. The illusion grinned.

Loki's double sneered, "I remember this weapon. I used it to kill my biological father years ago. Funny how history repeats itself."

Odin gasped, "Only a monster strikes down his own parents, you ungrateful little..."

The real Loki grabbed his knife again and crept behind the distracted Odin.

He slit Odin's left ankle and he toppled over. Again there was no blood. He didn't care at this point if Odin's soul went Valhalla or Hel, he just wanted him gone.

Loki mock casually stepped over him and grabbed Gungnir for real. He pointed it at Odin.

"Any last whispered words?"

"My death will be avenged."

Loki shape shifted into Odin's form. "No one will know you're even gone. You won't even get a proper burial at sea; I'll make sure of it. You've done an awful job with the crown these last few hundred years. Frankly, I know I can do better."

"This crown is poison to all who wear it. I doubt you will last as long as I did."

"I'll enjoy proving you wrong."

Loki aimed the spear's point at Odin's one good eye.

"What would your mother Frigga think?"

Loki hesitated.

"She's dead. What does it matter?"

"When I meet her soul in Valhalla, do you think she will still love you for sending me there?"

Loki lowered the spear, conflicted within.

He asked, "Did you ever love me?"

Odin sounded like he was screaming, but it was reduced to a hollow whisper, "I won't make my last act alive be a lie to bandage your pathetic feelings. For the briefest of times when you were a child, I felt some affection. That fell away after I saw the signs of your true nature. I can't look at you with anything but hatred and disappointment."

Loki aimed the spear again.

Odin said, "If you kill me, you'll never control the Odin Force. You'll need that to rule the Nine Realms."

Loki swallowed as they stared at each other.

Loki finally waved his hand, "Go to sleep. Go into your sleep until I decide on what to do with you."

Odin closed his good eye and fell completely to the ground. Loki picked the crown off of his head and examined it.

It was gold; the way so much in Asgard was golden and ostentatious. It was heavier than he expected. He placed it on his head and looked at his reflection, still cloaked with Odin's face.

He switched back to his true form. The gold of the crown made his pale skin look greenish. He would have to rule cloaked by the shadow of the man he detested so much. How long could he carry this out?

He needed a place to store Odin until he could find a way to pull the Odin Force out of him.

He thought of his limited options. He couldn't use the old portals hidden in the mountains to the other realms as their location had been revealed. He couldn't use any of the temporary openings in dimensions as they were too unstable. He had to find someplace safe in Asgard.

Loki thought of who in the surrounding land would be hospitable. He smiled as he thought of one woman with a history of hostility.

He disguised himself as a peasant and covered Odin in a burlap sack. His near comatose body was unbearably heavy, so he tossed him unceremoniously into a wheelbarrow. Whistling as he walked, Loki "borrowed" a small airship and raced out of the capital city.

The air grew cold as he headed to the land of Norn. He approached a low-slung castle. It was built of grey bricks and mortar with only small, slit-like windows to reveal the fires lit within. It was a building made for war and defense, not welcome.

Loki spoke to the guard: "I seek counsel with Karnilla the Norn Queen. I have someone of great interest to her."

The guards allowed him in, but kept their weapons at the ready.

Loki pushed the wheelbarrow into the throne room. Karnilla rose from her seat of power.

She asked, "What business do you seek with me?"

He opened the bag and dumped Odin to the grimy floor.

"I have one of your oldest enemies. I'd like to propose a bargain."

To be continued.


	3. Chapter 3

**The Poisoned Crown Chapter 3**

**By: Cadet Deming**

**I don't own the rights to Thor, Marvel does, so please don't sue. Rated T for violence, adult language and situations. Includes spoilers and possible missing scenes from Thor: The Dark World. Please read and review.**

Karnilla the Norn Queen said, "I smell an illusion here."

He felt the eyes of the crowd on him. Norns were paler than the capitol city Asgardians, and were known for their dark black hair, pale skin, and scarlet red lips. Magic was rumored to run stronger in their blood than in any province in the land.

A trickle of nervousness brushed through Loki. "Really? Does it smell like lilacs?"

Karnilla waved her hand and Loki's peasant appearance melted away. He looked down and saw a deeper layer of himself revealed: blue and covered in skin patterns. It was his true Frost Giant view. He felt even more exposed than if he was forced to be naked in public.

She asked, "Who are you and how does a Frost Giant of Jotunheim come to capture the all-mighty Odin?"

He stood tall and said proudly, "I am Loki, prince of Asgard. I captured Odin with my superior sorcery and guile."

"I've heard much about you. None of it good."

Karnilla gave him a half smile and walked down from her throne. The purple silk of her robe rustled.

She held her hand out to him, "Give me your palm."

A Frost Giant's barest touch could freeze an Asgardian.

He asked, "You aren't afraid of me turning you to ice?"

"At my age, there's very little left that frightens me."

She grasped him. He felt a trickle of power, like what the Midgardians called electricity.

Karnilla traced the patterns on palm, "You're very skilled in mind-magic. The kind that only requires the wielder to think. You're weaker in body magic, where the flick of a wrist can move a mountain. I'm not sensing much experience in the deepest of the dark arts, the blood magic and potions."

"I only learned what my mother taught me. Men aren't exactly encouraged to study magic in Asgard."

"Yes, that old double-standard. Men fight battles and women have sorcery. Your mother Frigga trained under me."

Loki was surprised. He also wondered how old Karnilla truly was. She could be disguising her appearance to look younger.

"Funny, she never mentioned it."

Karnilla looked wry. "It was brief, when my kingdom and Asgard were at peace. She left her studies when she was arranged to marry Odin. He initiated an unjust war a mere century later against me. The history books in Asgard were written to paint me as a complete monster and it became unseemly to ever mention I ever did anything good."

Her tone grew angrier every time she said the word, "Asgard."

Loki wondered how much both of his adopted parents kept from him. Even loved ones didn't reveal everything to each other.

He said, "History is the lies of the winners of conflicts."

"How is Frigga doing these days?"

Ice formed in his throat. "She was murdered yesterday, by Malekith's forces."

An uncomfortable silence settled around them.

Karnilla said, "I'm sorry for your loss. If it's any consolation, Malekith is going to be defeated."

"How do you know?"

"The three goddesses of fate are Norns. One of them can predict the future. I ask her opinion every time there is a potential world-ending apocalypse. We seem to have one every year or so."

Loki was curious. "Could I have my future foretold?"

A warning flashed in her eyes. "Those are dangerous waters to tread in, and not a boon I give for free. What bargain do you seek with me?"

"I need your help taking control of the Odin Force, so I can rid myself of Odin forever."

"Are you asking me to help you kill your own father?"

"You say that as if it were a bad thing. He's not my real father."

"And what do you offer me in return?"

"I seek to rule with his face. I can declare an end to all hostilities of Asgard against your land. All I ask is for you to hide him until it can be done."

She went back to her throne and stroked her chin. "What if I want the Odin Force for myself?"

"I can offer you…half."

She smiled mysteriously. "I will accept that."

Loki didn't trust for her to share the power. He respected her well enough from a distance, but suspected if she had the ability to conquer Odin's defenses, he couldn't force her to split the results. He vowed to keep a close eye on her.

He put on a false smile and asked, "Can you escort me outside please? Alone."

The head guard made questioning eye contact with her.

She nodded to him and led Loki through a corridor away from the prying eyes of her court.

He asked, "May I have my shape shifting ability back please?"

She waved her hand and he returned to his normal form. She cocked her head and grinned approvingly. "I like this look on you."

"Because I look like one of your subjects?"

"Because you look like one of my people."

He whispered, "About your people, an awfully large number of them witnessed our deal. I'm not sure I'm comfortable with that."

She said nonchalantly, "I'll just have them all slaughtered."

Loki was aghast. "Isn't that a bit extreme?"

She stared at him. "You don't bat an eye about patricide, yet killing strangers bothers you."

He sneered. "You're testing me."

"I'm just trying to find out what kind of a man you are."

The truth was, Loki had been through so much upheaval over the past few years he wasn't sure himself what kind of a man he was.

"I'm…complicated, but be assured, I will honor our agreement."

"I certainly hope so. Have no concern; I'll just use a memory spell to make all witnesses forget what happened."

"Could you teach me that spell?"

She smiled. "In due time. All our plans will come about in due time."

To Be Continued.


	4. Chapter 4

**The Poisoned Crown Chapter 4**

**By: Cadet Deming**

**I don't own the rights to Thor, Marvel does, so please don't sue. Rated T for violence, adult language and situations. Includes spoilers and possible missing scenes from Thor: The Dark World. Please read and review.**

Loki returned to the palace expecting to enjoy his new-found power. He had been locked up for so long he missed the freedom of simply walking in the sun or strolling down corridors.

He travelled to the tallest of the towers and took in the sights. It was truly majestic, filled with mountain ranges and miles of lush forests, rivers and streams. He bathed in the knowledge that he now ruled all of it.

Loki took a second closer look. The city below was in disarray. Walls were crumbled in more areas than he could count; roofs were caved in, and in the distance fires blazed. He saw a dash of green next to one of the far-off towns. Could it be a dragon? With the Nine Realms opening to each other from the Convergence, anything could come through.

Normally Heimdall would warn of all dangers, but as he was still imprisoned, Loki was afraid to risk asking him.

Odin had two pet ravens, Hugin and Munin, who he used to gather information. They could fly through the realm and report back to him. Odin had appeared softer to and more protective of his pets than he did of his own children.

Their birdhouse was in this tower. Loki approached it carefully. He opened the door to their cage. They both clung to their perches, heads tucked under black feathers.

"Wake up boys. I need to ask you something."

The birds fluttered their shoulders and stared at him groggily. The tilted their heads with mutual looks of confusion. He had often wondered how intelligent they truly were.

Both ravens lunged straight at him with claws outstretched.

They cawed, "Not Odin! Not Odin! Traitor! Traitor! Rawk!"

Loki swung to protect his eyes. They pecked at him, hard and painful.

They squawked, "Magic! Magic! Bad! Bad! Lenore!"

He couldn't let anyone hear them. Of all of the dangers he had conquered, he refused to be brought down by a pair of carrion-eating birds.

Loki muttered, "Father always loved you more than me."

He pointed Gungnir and fired at one. It screamed and fell to the ground.

He looked up, but the other bird was out of view. Frantic, Loki ran to all of the vantage points of the tower, but the bird had disappeared from view. He had to find it.

Someone knocked loudly on the tower door. Loki braced himself and opened it.

Three of his father's lords stood in the stairway: Lord Tyr, the leader of defenses and soldiers, Lord Vlad, the leader of the builders and merchants, and Lord Sven the man in charge of charity.

Tyr said, "Are you safe sire? I heard your spear firing."

Loki thought quickly. "I am fine, but my poor birds were infected by a…flu."

Sven said, "A flu? Are they in danger?"

Loki improvised, "One has already died, and the disease is highly contagious. For the safety of the people of Asgard I declare for all ravens forevermore to be shot on sight, lest the disease spread."

Sven said, "We will spread your decree, but a disease is the least of our problems. The attacks of Malekith's forces have left thousands homeless and hungry."

Tyr said, "All through the land, openings to the other eight realms are releasing creatures we are not prepared to handle."

Loki asked, "Hugin and Mugin warned me of a dragon. It was their final…squawk. For now, send a battalion after the dragon rebuild as much as possible and feed the starving."

Vlad said, "We do not have enough gold to pay for everything. It will do no good to feed the poor if we are overrun. If you give me the money to pay my contractors to rebuild…"

Sven said, "Rebuilding could take ages, while people die from empty bellies."

Loki grew frustrated with "special interest groups." He thought about what his adopted father would do. Most likely start being melodramatic and yell.

Loki tried to impersonate him. "Enough of your prattle. By my order we are under martial law. I declare all of the able-bodied poor to assist physically with rebuilding and defense. If they work, they receive food for their labor. We can use the money we save on paying contractors to pay for their food."

Vlad said, "But, what about paying for my contracts?"

Loki frowned at him, "Do you wish to protect Asgard or line your own pockets?"

Vlad said stiffly, "Of course, I put the fate of Asgard above all. Thank you for your wise counsel."

Loki could sense he was lying. He recognized the seething of resentment he used to feel whenever he didn't get what he wanted.

Tyr said with much hesitation in his voice,"My King, for the safety of Asgard, I ask you to reconsider your imprisonment of Heimdall, Lady Sif and the others. With Thor gone, we have no other champions to fight the dragon."

Loki said, "I will consider the matter on a case by case basis."

He dismissed the lords and returned to the tower. The bird he had killed lay curled up with the beginning of rigor mortis. He checked its nametag. It was Hugin.

Loki felt a pang of guilt. It was just an animal showing loyalty to its master, but he had to be ruthless to hold on to power. In the future he could adopt an orphaned puppy to balance things out.

He transformed himself into a cook and Hugin into a slaughtered chicken. Loki went to the kitchen of the palace's great hall. In his youth he used to play pranks on the cooks when he was bored. It seemed so large to him before, filled with piles of vegetables and cupboards of cakes and pies. Now the place had a skeleton crew, and the pantries had only scraps and crumbs.

Loki roasted the raven in an oven. When it was finished he placed it on a covered platter. He changed back into his Odin disguise and returned to the dungeons.

He ordered the head guard, "Bring me Volstagg into the interrogation room."

Loki figured he would start with the weakest link. The guards brought his former comrade to him.

Volstagg looked defeated as he was brought to sit across from Loki. Loki remembered the centuries he had fought alongside Volstagg, supposedly as friends. But were they ever truly friends? He felt more like Volstagg and the others were Thor's friends, and they just tolerated him because they had to. Volstagg in particular had been the most cutting to him over the years.

One of the guards asked, "Do you need any hot irons, sire?"

Loki watched Volstagg's horrified expression and waited longer than needed before responding, "Not now. Possibly later. Leave me."

Volstagg gulped. "What do you wish of me, sir?"

Loki said, "Do you feel any remorse for the disrespect you have shown me?"

"I feel very sorry. Very much so, with every pound of my being, from the ends of my beard to the depths of my belly. My empty belly. Is that roast duck I smell?"

Loki opened the dish and held it under his nose. "It is…chicken. Everything tastes like chicken. Would you like some?"

"Very much so."

Loki pulled it back away from him. "Now, why would I share it with you after the disobedience you showed me?"

"You already condemned me here, what more do you want?"

"To determine your final sentence."

"Please show mercy. Please let me see my family again. I have a family."

Loki screamed, "Well, I don't have a family anymore!"

Volstagg asked, "Is Thor not still your son? For his sake?"

Loki said, "What if Thor does not survive? What if you were wrong?"

Loki knew Thor was going to succeed, but he wasn't going to let anyone else know how he knew that.

Volstagg said, "Then all of Asgard is lost."

Loki tapped his fingers on the table. He finally said, "Promise me this. If Thor wins, if I give you probation so to speak and let you see your family again, swear to me on the graves of your ancestors, may your soul never go to Valhalla if you break this, an oath of compete loyalty to me. You will never, ever break any order of mine. I'll throw in the bird if you agree."

Volstagg said, "I swear on the graves of my ancestors, may I be barred from Valhalla forever, that I will obey you completely. Even if it is a bad decision. Could you please, not mention to my friends that I begged for mercy?"

Loki gave him the dish.

"I will be discreet. Guards, bring me the next of the rebels."

Loki finally started to enjoy being king.

**To Be Continued**.


	5. Chapter 5

**The Poisoned Crown Chapter 5**

**By: Cadet Deming**

**I don't own the rights to Thor, Marvel does, so please don't sue. Rated T for violence, adult language and situations. Includes spoilers and possible missing scenes from Thor: The Dark World. Please read and review.**

Loki had Fandral brought in next. For a man in chains he walked too proudly. The first thing he did after the guard sat him down was to check his reflection in the mirror behind Loki and use his cuffed-together hands to smooth his ruffled blonde hair back.

Loki said, "I heard you questioned my judgment."

Fandral looked him in the eye. "I feel your strategy could be improved."

"That is a very arrogant thing to say to the king, and quite disloyal."

"I speak honestly, but my actions show my loyalty. If I truly wished to rebel against your rule, I would have escaped from prison by now."

Loki said sarcastically, "How very loyal of you. I suspect the true reason you haven't escaped is I didn't allow any women near you to charm."

Fandral grinned. His smile was as prideful as Thor's used to be. "That as well."

Loki wanted to smack him, but resisted. He leaned across the table and said, "What if I agreed to release you, on the condition that you tell me your secret?"

Fandral looked confused. "I can honestly say I am part of no further conspiracies."

"I meant your secret for how you are able to charm and seduce so many women."

Fandral appeared hurt. "You wound me, my Lord. I would think my handsome looks and obvious charisma would be apparent."

"There has to be more to it. Tell me your secret or I will damn you here to never see another woman as long as you live."

Fandral looked shifty. "This is a private conversation, is it not?"

"I am blocking Heimdall's eyes and ears through magic. The king is entitled to his privacy."

"Simple things mostly. I try to make a woman feel as if she is the only girl in the world."

"Then how is it I see you with two or more girls on your arm? How can a woman feel special when you treat her as part of a harem?"

Guilt showed in Fandral's eyes. "I will admit it is not quite honorable, but I lead women to believe that they will eventually be the only one for me. Many ladies are attracted to the challenge of being the one woman to tame the magnificent Fandral."

"It seems that under your gentlemanly persona, you are quite the manipulator. I like that."

Fandral looked at him quizzically. Loki realized that was the type of statement he would say.

"It is something I am not proud of, but I do not see why you would need my advice to court the fairer sex. You have the greatest prize to tempt any woman in the realm: the queen ship of Asgard."

Loki smiled. "True. I will wait for some time to pass out of respect for my dear departed Frigga, but a king does need a queen. You are dismissed."

Loki had the guards lead him out, and bring in Sif. Her hair looked disheveled, and the kohl she lined her eyes with had smudged. There was still something wildly beautiful about her features.

Loki said, "The Lady Sif. This is not the first time you have rebelled against me. The female warrior who violates my decrees to seek adventure."

"You call it rebellion. I consider it becoming the change that needs to happen for Asgard to survive."

"For a woman concerned with survival, you have an odd history of seeking out things that can kill you."

"I merely seek the life of the warrior, no more or less. Is this conversation a preamble to condemning me to death?"

Loki questioned how cruel he was capable of being. He got out of his seat and walked behind her.

He whispered, "Do you wish to die Sif? Is that the real reason you put yourself in danger over and over again?"

"I wish…I wish…I wish Frigga was back with us. My mother died giving birth to me so I never really had a female role model growing up to teach me cooking and cleaning and magic. I think that was part of the reason I gravitated to the boys and the whole soldier's way of life. Frigga stepped in and was the mother I never had and now she's dead and I just feel so empty and angry all at once and I…part of me wishes I was dead too."

Loki put his hand on her shoulder. Her words about being empty and angry echoed what he'd felt inside for so long. He wanted to give her a "Loki-ish" response, something clever or mischievous, but he saw his reflection in the mirror. He was just an aged king hovering over her.

Loki said, "What you are feeling is what the Midgardians would call grief and depression. You are strong Sif. I have faith you will work through it, and it will be easier for you to heal outside of the prison. I am releasing you."

She smiled for the first time he had seen in years. "Thank you, Sir."

She didn't hug him. His father hadn't hugged Loki since he had been a hundred years old. Odin was a hot-blooded father, but for centuries he was never warm.

Loki dismissed her. He had the guards bring in the Asgardian he had been dreading most of all.

Heimdall was led in by 3 armed soldiers. Loki suspected if Heimdall really wanted to escape, 30 soldiers couldn't hold him back.

He tried to be unafraid as Heimdall stared at him with his freakish Amber-colored eyes.

He boomed in his deep voice, "You have been blocking me from seeing you."

Loki chose his words very carefully. "My kingdom is in ruins, my wife has been slaughtered, one of my sons is dead and the other is in danger of dying, and we have a bloody dragon infestation. I do not wish for my grief to be on display for anyone, even you."

"You have never blocked me before."

"Things change. I am going through…changes. Do not be surprised if my behavior seems…odd. Everyone grieves differently."

"I am sorry. You are clearly not yourself."

Loki grinned, "You have no idea."

He realized he shouldn't have done that and changed the subject, "Can you see Thor?"

Heimdall's odd eyes looked hazy. He said, "I see him…he is…he just moved into the Dark World…now he's back on Midgard…now he fell onto rock… he is in London…he won! Thor won!"

"What a pleasant surprise."

Loki wondered what would he do or say now that Thor was coming back.

**To Be Continued**


	6. Chapter 6

**The Poisoned Crown Chapter 6**

**By: Cadet Deming**

**I don't own the rights to Thor, Marvel does, so please don't sue. Rated T for violence, adult language and situations. Includes spoilers and possible missing scenes from Thor: The Dark World. Please read and review.**

Mixed feelings trickled through Loki's mind about seeing his brother again. Part of him truly loved and missed him. The other parts feared that if anyone could see through his disguise and fight back it would be Thor. He needed more power to be able to face him, if he needed to fight him for the throne.

He wanted to check up on Karnilla's progress on tapping into the Odin Force. To be discreet he cloaked himself in invisibility to travel to her castle. He crept in behind a group of guards. They seemed to be on high alert, possibly because of all of the openings to other dimensions.

Loki wandered through the halls. He saw several jade statues of a demonic horned being with two faces, one inside its own stomach. The Norns were rumored to be devil-worshippers, and this seemed to lend credence to the rumor.

He found her bed-chamber. It was decorated in shades of purple. A corner held what looked like a shrine. It contained a painting of a handsome man with the inscription: "My Beloved Balder 3,000-2,000."

Karnilla lay sleeping on a four-poster. She was only half-dressed. He questioned if he should disturb her, but as he had come all this way he didn't want to leave without getting what he wanted.

"Karnilla, wake up."

She didn't stir.

He shook her gently, but nothing happened. He pressed her again and she muttered something in a foreign language. He started to worry if she had fallen into the Odin Sleep.

Impatient, he searched her chambers for an icebox and poured ice water on her chest.

She gasped awake. "Don't ever do that to me again."

"It was a joke. I needed to talk to you about the Odin Force, which I suspect you've tapped into already. Unless you were having way too much fun without me last night."

She rubbed her eyes. "What time is it? How long was I out for?"

The water had rendered what little clothes she was wearing transparent. Loki chose not to mention anything about it.

"It's half past ten. I don't know how long you've been asleep. I'm more concerned with how long you had access to the Odin Force without telling me."

"I needed to try it out myself first, to make sure it actually worked. And then the Odin Sleep overtook me."

"I need it now. Where is my darling father?"

"He is somewhere safe."

"I'd like to know where. Or don't you trust me?"

She laughed with more than a hint of bitterness. "You could start by not breaking into my home and pouring ice on me."

"I need to find my fun where I can."

"Pranks and ruling do not mix together well."

He knew there was truth in her warning, but he didn't want to be lectured to.

"Thank you mother," he said sarcastically.

Karnilla wandered into a closet and returned wearing a robe. "I have him in a splinter dimension. I tried experimenting with a lower dosage. A little goes a long way. I question if even I could handle the full power."

"I believe I could."

"You have a pattern of taking on more than you can handle."

Loki felt challenged by her. "Show me where he is witch, and I will gladly prove you mistaken."

She smiled, "You say witch as if it were an insult."

She waved her hands and a green portal opened. She beckoned him to follow. Odin lay sleeping on a slab.

Karnilla took out a dagger.

He grew suspicious. "What is this?"

"Blood magic. I need some of yours and some of his."

She cut both of them and mingled the blood together, muttering more unintelligible words. He realized this was probably the only time he shared blood of any kind with his adopted father. How important was blood? It was nothing and yet everything.

He waited for the upgrade to take effect. It reminded him of being in parties where everyone else was gathered in a group and he was off to the side, waiting for the mead or wine to kick in and release him from the feeling of otherness or sullen rage or whatever moods plagued him.

The tips of his fingers tingled and the room started to blur. He felt a surge of energy. Loki wanted to run up a mountain, lead an army, and swim over the edge of Asgard.

He smiled. "Odin said we aren't true gods. I think he lied. "

"Congratulations. You are literally drunk with power."

"I like it."

"Let's return to my chambers."

"Can I break something?"

"No."

She led him back to Asgard's regular dimension. He couldn't sit still, so he reached for Gungnir and started twirling it around.

Loki said, "Have you ever been to Midgard? I tried to conquer it before, but I wasn't ready then. I'm ready now. Let's strike while everything is in chaos with the convergence. I like chaos."

"Perhaps you should hold off on making any major decisions until you calm down a bit."

"I am calm. I've never been calmer in my life. Why was Odin in such a bad mood when he could feel like this all of the time?"

"Maybe he built up immunity. I think over time the Odin Force becomes less effective, and the user has to use more and more to get the same results."

"Is there a bad drug metaphor in here somewhere?"

"Asgardians don't use drugs. We call it magic."

Loki started to feel dizzy. He lay down on her bed.

He asked, "How long can I stay here?"

She rested beside him. "As long as you need."

He realized how little he knew about her, other than propaganda.

He asked, "What is your last name?"

"I'm Karnilla, daughter of Angrboda. Norns trace our lineage through our mother's side."

"Why is that?"

"Our culture is a matriarchy, and women know for sure the children are ours."

Loki thought about how he was raised as "Loki Odinson," and when his father publicly disowned him called him, "Laufeyson." The last words he ever said to his mother were that she wasn't his true mother. He wanted more than anything to take that back.

"I'm Loki Friggason then."

"I like that."

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Loki woke up several hours later, with a throbbing headache. When Odin went into the Odin Sleep, he supposedly was aware of everything. Loki didn't remember anything, just an undreaming blackness.

Karnilla lay curled up beside him. He felt a glimmer of regret about what he had said while "under the influence." They were both fully clothed, so he assumed nothing more had happened. He wasn't sure how he felt about that.

Loki made himself invisible and was about to sneak out, but at the last moment scribbled a hasty "Thank You" and placed it next to her pillow.

He returned to the palace and switched back into Odin-form.

Lord Tyr greeted him. "Sir, your son Thor has returned!"

Loki sat on his throne and tried to conceal his headache and haziness. His brother approached. Loki knew he would naturally take all of the credit for defeating Malekith's forces. He saw Thor looked weary and sad, very different than his previous arrogant boisterousness.

He wanted to comfort him, to let him know he was still alive, but resisted it. If he did he could lose everything. Loki's ears perked up when Thor said he didn't want the throne.

Thor said, "Loki died with honor….he would have made a better king than I."

Loki's hangover disappeared. He was finally getting the recognition he'd craved his whole life.

Loki said, "One of my sons doesn't want the crown at all, and the other wanted it too much. I cannot tell you how proud I am of you."

Thor vowed to protect all of the realms, and left, most likely to return to Midgard. The same energy Loki felt when he tapped into the Odin power earlier came back, not from magic, but sheer happiness that he was finally getting everything he wanted.

**To be continued**

**Author's Note: This was a strange chapter to write because I've only seen the movie once so I didn't have the final scene memorized. My excuse: Loki was hung-over from tapping into the Odin Force so he doesn't remember it all either-) People familiar with Norse mythology may know who Angrboda is-)**


	7. Chapter 7

**The Poisoned Crown Chapter 7**

**By: Cadet Deming**

**I don't own the rights to Thor, Marvel does, so please don't sue. Rated T for violence, adult language and situations. Includes spoilers and possible missing scenes from Thor: The Dark World. Please read and review, it's very motivating.**

**Author's Note: Sorry I took long to update. I was on vacation.**

If Thor had made his presence in the kingdom felt, his absence was even more noteworthy. Loki had to call a meeting of the King's Council. He watched from the head of a heavy oak table as Lords Tyr, Vlad, and Sven gathered. Heimdall as head of security and Fandral as the leader of all swordsman were included, but Thor's other friends didn't rank highly enough.

Loki said brightly, "As you may have heard, Thor has abdicated the throne and chosen to leave Asgard."

Loki had always been sensitive to the moods of others around him, and saw that all of the men looked grim.

Fandral said, "He has promised to return to protect us if needed, but will be sorely missed."

Loki wondered how Thor had broken the news to his friends.

Lord Vlad asked a bit too quickly, "What does this mean for succession to the throne?"

Loki said. "Are people counting off the days until I die? I am not giving up the throne anytime soon."

Tyr said, "With all due respect your highness, you are 4,800 years old, and with no surviving male heir. Normally the throne would pass to any nephews of the king, but as your brothers Vili and Ve were both slaughtered 2,000 years ago by the fire demons of Muspelheim before bearing children, there are no legitimate heirs to Asgard."

Vlad said, "This could be an opening for civil war."

Fandral added, "Unless there are any children you have not told us about."

A chill entered the room. The other lords looked visibly uncomfortable.

Loki hissed, "What are you implying?"

Fandral sunk in his seat. "I meant no disrespect, sir. It is just that many kings have children born from love outside of matrimony."

The thought of Odin having a bastard child with a claim to the throne before him because of the importance of blood turned his stomach, but Loki knew he couldn't rule out the possibility.

Loki glanced to Heimdall. As he had been watching his father constantly, if anyone knew if Odin had other children, it would be him. Unfortunately Heimdall looked stoic and unreadable.

Loki said, "Just because you cannot keep your fly buttoned does not mean other men share your weaknesses. I will hear no more aspersions about my character."

Fandral gave him a dirty look. In light of his last conversation with him, Loki knew he must appear to be a hypocrite.

Loki tried to change the subject. "So how goes the hunt for the dragon that attacked? Have any diseased ravens been killed? Nice weather we have been having."

Sven asked, "Are you just going to allow Fandral to get away with such insolence?"

Vlad added, "Yes, Odin may throw him in jail for a mere 24 hours before releasing him again. Should I install a revolving door in the prison?"

Loki didn't like his authority being challenged. He didn't want to look weak, but he wanted to make sure there wasn't any truth to Fandral's suggestion before passing any public punishment on him.

Loki said, "I will take your suggestions under consideration. The subject of succession is closed."

Heimdall said, "The dragon was killed 2 hours ago. The soldiers are bringing it in now."

Loki seized the opportunity to use something to increase his popularity. "Excellent. We shall publicly roast it tonight and give its meat to the public as a gift from me. I am told that dragons taste like chicken. What is next on the agenda?"

Vlad said, "Rebuilding the statue of your father Bor. We need more money to rebuild the head. Thor destroyed it while rescuing the traitor Loki."

Loki said, "Show Loki some respect. He died saving you all. How much money will it cost?"

"Thirty-thousand gold crowns."

"Why so much?"

"To match the age of the limestone."

"Would it be cheaper to build an entirely new statue?"

"Depending on the materials, yes."

Loki clasped his hands together, thinking. "I want the statue replaced with a statue of Loki."

Fandral said, "May I say something, sir?"

Loki glared at him and spat, "No. Meeting adjourned. Except for you Heimdall, I have a question about…security."

The other men left. Loki noticed they all looked even grimmer.

After the door closed he watched Heimdall staring at him. Heimdall was probably the closest thing Odin had to a true friend. Kings had advisors and courtiers, but rarely had true friends.

Carefully he asked, "You are sworn to honesty. Should I be worried?"

Heimdall said, "Yes."

Loki shrunk his shoulders.

Heimdall said, "Your popularity is at an all-time low, people are tired and hungry, the doors to the other dimensions are not closing, and the lords grow restless."

Loki said, "I am old, and my memory does not serve me well. How many children are there?"

Heimdall looked resigned. "Seventeen children from sixteen different women. One was blessed with twins."

Loki winced at the word "blessed."

He hated Odin even more. He wondered if Frigga knew. His natural reactions were to have a temper tantrum, use magic to break something, or go on an insulting tirade, but he had to repress it.

He said, "I do not want this to come out in public now, not so soon after Frigga's death. I do not want the memory of our marriage sullied."

Heimdall said, "With all due respect sir, you should have thought of that at least sixteen times before."

Loki hung his head to the ground. "What should I do to prevent a civil war?"

"Bring Thor back. The people need a true hero."

Even with the throne in his hands, Loki was still overshadowed by his brother.

He said, "Thor does not wish to come back. I have done many awful things while in power."

He could have just as easily been talking about himself or Odin.

Heimdall said, "You cannot change the past, you can only control what you do in the present."

Loki sighed. "I could take a new wife, produce a legitimate heir, and learn from past mistakes about how not to treat my family."

Heimdall said, "Sometimes the only good that can come from evil is the knowledge to avoid it in the future."

"Thank you for your counsel."

Loki spent the next few hours burning off his aggression in a gymnasium. He purposely used it alone so know one could recognize his fighting style.

He had an itch to use more of the Odin Force, but realized it would only make him more magically powerful, not better at demanding love or respect. As he aimed his knives at targets, he pretended he was aiming them at Odin's face.

Loki dressed in his father's dress robes and entered the banquet hall.

The dragon was spread out on a table. Its mouth was open and filled with a giant pumpkin. The scales were green, but the flesh was pink in the middle.

People let him move to the front of the line in deference and he piled his golden plate full.

He scanned the hall for familiar faces. He had no desire to sit with any of the higher lords. He didn't want to sit next to Heimdall as he knew too much.

He spotted Fandral, Sif and Volstagg sitting together. Volstagg had three plates of food in front of him.

Volstagg said, "So which is the worst way to die: frost giant, fire demon or dwarf?"

Sif said, "I would think fire demon. Who wishes to be burned alive, even in the glory of battle?"

Fandral said, "I've been frozen by a frost giant before. It is not pleasant either."

Volstagg said, "What is the old saying? Frost giants freeze you to death, fire demons burn you to death, and dwarves rape you to death."

Sif looked uncomfortable. "I would rather die by my own sword than by any of those."

Loki stepped into view and all three of them looked even more uncomfortable.

Fandral asked, "Am I in trouble."

"Not yet. I would like to ask the Lady Sif to dance."

Sif looked surprised, but held out her hand. He led her to the dance floor.

They started to waltz.

Sif said, "May I ask you something?"

"You may."

"I heard you are building a statue to Loki."

Loki slid his hand down her back and pulled her closer to him, "Do you not approve?"

"I understand he died for Asgard, but does one act excuse all of the horrible things he did?"

Loki squeezed her hand tighter. "You were once his friend, were you not?"

Sif said, "I spent time with him because he was Thor's brother. I never liked him."

Loki dug his nails into her. "Really. Why is that?"

"Everyone tried to rewrite history and say he was good until he went mad. But he always did bad things. When I was a teenager he cut my hair off."

Loki said, "Loki was a lonely little boy who did what he could to survive in a culture obsessed with war and conquest. Did it occur to you that he cut your hair off because he liked you and he was trying to get your attention?"

Sif said, "He should have known better. Thor knew better."

Loki said, "So how are you taking Thor's departure?"

"As badly as can be expected. I do not think this is the right time, but he would not listen to me."

Loki said, "It burns you doesn't it, that Thor would prefer the weaklings of Midgard and affections of Jane Foster to you."

She stiffened in his grip. "Why do you care, Sir?"

"I am curious, is all. Did you truly love Thor, or did you love the crown?"

"I loved Thor, with all my heart."

"Are you lying to yourself about that?"

She looked offended. "Of course not. Why would you even ask me such a thing?"

Loki said, "Because the crown of queen is open, if you are interested."

She pulled away from him. Sif had always been physically strong.

She said, "No, I am not. I must be going now. You are acting quite strangely."

Sif ran into the crowd. Loki wanted to take of after her, but Heimdall burst in.

"We are under attack. It is Muspelheim! The fire demons are here!"

**To be continued.**


	8. Chapter 8

**The Poisoned Crown Chapter 8**

**By: Cadet Deming**

**I don't own the rights to Thor, Marvel does, so please don't sue. Rated T for violence, adult language and situations. Includes spoilers and possible missing scenes from Thor: The Dark World. Reviews are appreciated.**

Loki strode out of the hallway among the cacophony of scurrying soldiers. It was chaos, but not the kind of chaos he enjoyed. He had only commanded an army once, in New York City, and it hadn't ended well for him.

The sky was filled with hundreds, if not thousands of the fire demons. They looked like red humanoids with black, leathery, bat-like wings, and tales that looked like a scaled monkey. Their screeching reminded him of Odin's ravens.

"Burn it!" he heard them scream. "Burn it all!"

Fire burst out everywhere. Loki had always been sensitive to heat, most likely from his frost giant heritage. He started sweating.

Tyr, Heimdall, and Fandral barked out orders.

Sif hacked away at demons with two swords.

She shouted, "Will somebody please bloody call Thor!?"

Loki muttered under his breath, "Yes. So he can ride in and take all of the credit for himself."

Sif gave him a dirty look as she stabbed both demons through the stomach.

As Odin was a renowned military genius, Loki knew he had to be proactive and provide some guidance. He wanted to handle this with his own strategy. He thought about what was left of the royal armory, and what weapons it held.

Loki remembered the Casket of Ancient Winters, the artifact stolen from the frost giants with the power to freeze. If he touched it, it would make him turn back into Jotun form. He couldn't dare use it himself.

Loki ordered, "Heimdall, use the Casket."

Heimdall nodded solemnly. Loki saw a look of rare nervousness in his eyes. Loki had once frozen him alive with the device, so asking him to use it might be triggering a bad memory. His stoic expression returned and he re-entered the palace.

He wished he had more of the Odin Force, but didn't have time to access it.

A fire demon flew at Loki's face and he fired Gungnir at it. It exploded, and drops of its blood fell on his arm. They were burning hot. The pain was excruciating, but Loki refused to scream.

Heimdall returned with the Casket and started firing it. Demons froze instantly into blocks of ice and fell from the sky. Loki smiled at his indirect handiwork.

The ground shook, as if from the aftershocks of an earthquake.

Fandral shouted, "It is the demon lord Surtur!"

Loki knew even Odin was afraid of Surtur.

The monster came into view. He was as tall as the palace spires. He resembled a larger version of the other demons, but instead of wings he had a pair of large bull-like horns. His horns were on fire.

His head turned to the frozen bodies of his slain soldiers.

Surtur bellowed in a voice even deeper than Heimdall's, "My children! You slaughter my children! I want to see Odin! Come to me and finish what we started 2,000 years ago!"

The warriors all watched him with expectation in their eyes. Loki thought of sending an illusion of himself to fight the beast, but knew if it was revealed to be false he would arouse too much suspicion. He fought back the urge to run.

He gripped Gungnir and walked forward. The Asgardians all stared, this time with concern in their eyes. Even Sif looked worried for him.

He felt his own mortality closing in. There was no way he could defeat Surtur with his own strength and magic.

For years when Loki had travelled with Thor and his warrior friends, Loki had been the one who tried to use diplomacy to save them. He gained a reputation for having a "silver-tongue." He tried to return to that now.

Loki asked, "What are your terms?"

Surtur cocked his head, great bull-horns casting a shadow over Loki.

"My terms are for you to perish burned to a cinder and to scatter your ashes to the winds of my new colony."

Loki matched Surtur's gaze. His eyes were yellow, but not without intelligence.

Loki said, "Before you end me in front of my subjects, could we at least discuss this in private, king to king? Only a fool strikes first without a civilized discussion."

Surtur's eyes narrowed. He let out a snort.

One of the fire demons asked, "Can't you just melt him, father?"

Surtur growled, "No. Very well then godling, come to me in a Circle of Silence."

He beckoned with the talons on his right hand. Loki drew closer and a ring of fire circled them both, cutting them off from their respective armies.

The heat made the burns on his arm sharper. He felt like he was inside of an oven.

Loki asked, "Why are you invading Asgard? What do you want?"

"The door to your realm was open from the convergence. I decided to attack first before you warmongering baby-killers could strike your first blow."

"Asgardians may be trigger-happy, but I can assure you we are not baby-killers."

"You lie. The last time you invaded with your brothers you slaughtered my children."

"Is this about vengeance then? Have you come to settle a 2,000 year old score?"

"It is more than vengeance. It is survival. My people need land to burn to live. Our numbers grow every year, but Muspelheim's borders stay the same."

"May I humbly suggest birth control?"

Surtur kneeled down on the ground and got dangerously close to Loki's face. "Do not mock me! I could kill you with one fingernail."

Loki refused to flinch.

"I meant no disrespect. Sarcasm is my first language. I can assure you though, if heat is what you crave, you will find Asgard quite inhospitable."

"Everything burns."

"Not everything. True, you might get temporary feed from the trees and the grass, but after that's gone there will be nothing left for you. Asgard is much colder than the lands of Muspelheim."

"You have volcanoes here, like most lands."

"Only three. I could offer them to you as a gesture of goodwill, in exchange for you calling off your attack."

Surtur stared at him. His tail curled and wagged. Loki didn't know if he was waving it like a nervous cat or a happy dog.

Surtur said, "You have changed much over the years, Odin. Too much. I could never see a glory hound offering tribute. Unless, you are not the true All-Father. Tell me, 2,000 years ago, when you came to Muspelheim, what was the final fate of your brothers?"

Loki took a random guess. "Burned alive?"

Surtur shook his head. "You are not Odin. Show yourself to me."

Loki switched back to his normal form. He purposely appeared dressed in his green ceremonial clothing with the cattle horns on his head to mimic Surtur. He felt more natural.

"Loki Friggason at your service. I was raised as Odin's son, but have no sentiment for him now. Do we have a deal? Peace between our people in exchange for what little land you can survive in? No more brimstone and bloodshed?"

Surtur's tail rose up in the air like a satisfied cat.

"I give you my word on our agreement."

He held out his hand and Loki shook one of his giant fingers. He liked making deals much more than bureaucracy.

He asked Surtur, "What were the final fates of Odin's two brothers?"

"They came leading an army through a narrow door between dimensions. My sons killed all of their foot soldiers, until only the three remained. Odin stabbed his brothers in the shins to use them as a distraction so he could escape."

Loki said, "That is terrible, if it is true."

"I never lie."

Loki transformed back into Odin. It was a skin he increasingly hated wearing.

Surtur lowered the wall of fire and they returned to their soldiers.

Loki began, "This is how things will be from now on."

**To be continued**


	9. Chapter 9

**The Poisoned Crown Chapter 9**

**By: Cadet Deming**

**I don't own the rights to Thor, Marvel does, so please don't sue. Rated T for violence, adult language and situations. Includes spoilers and possible missing scenes from Thor: The Dark World. Reviews are appreciated.**

Karnilla applied a poultice to Loki's burns as Loki vented to her about the events of the day. He could have used the Soul Forge or Healing Room in his palace to tend to them, but was afraid the technology would give away his disguise.

"You should have seen the looks on their faces as I gave them the news. I singlehandedly saved all of them, and they acted like I was a traitor because I didn't do things the Asgardian way of using battle to solve everything."

She rubbed a supposedly magic cream on his arm. He was bare-chested and his skin felt cool from the indoor breezes, but he still felt heat radiating from the burns and Karnilla's hands. Her very skilled hands.

Karnilla said, "What you did today was so brave. As royalty we try to please everyone and end up pleasing no one."

She was definitely telling him what he wanted to hear.

He said, "The lack of gratitude is what upsets me the most. They all say 'Yes your majesty, whatever you wish,' but I hear the lies from their throats and feel the resentment against me."

She massaged his shoulders from behind. Loki sunk back into her grip. He questioned if Karnilla was being too sweet to him, but at the moment it was what he needed.

"You're very stressed out now. It's tying you up in knots."

She pressed her fingers in to him expertly.

"That is good," he said. "It's funny how you're the one woman in Asgard who sees right through me."

"Sweetie, I'm the only woman in Asgard who knows you're even alive."

Her movements were slower now, more languid. Loki's mind was wary of how nice and accommodating she was being, but his body didn't care.

He lowered his voice. "I miss this, human touch, simple skin-to-skin contact. Odin condemned me to solitary confinement for life. I was there for a year, but it felt like forever. On the surface it seems like an easy punishment, but the isolation, the lack of touch, having to sleep alone for what felt like forever, it got inside my head, made everything worse."

"People aren't meant to be alone. Even tyrants need a human connection."

He laughed, even though he didn't really didn't find it funny. It was more of a defensive reaction.

He said, "Do you think of me as a tyrant?"

"Poor choice of words on my part. Tell me Loki, do you truly wish to be king and protector of Asgard, or do you just desire the accolades from being king?"

He was a little uncomfortable with the question, so he deflected.

"I desire many things."

Loki grasped her arm and pulled her around to face him. He tried to read her brown eyes. She was smiling that mysterious smile at him.

Karnilla asked, "Am I one of them?"

After Sif's rejection of him as both Loki and Odin he needed to feel wanted.

He cradled her face. "Very much so."

Loki clasped his fingers through her dark silky hair and kissed her harder than he should have, but he couldn't help himself. She responded with equal passion.

Karnilla straddled him and he felt heat everywhere, but this time it was the good kind, the kind he never wanted to stop feeling.

He supported her underneath and carried her to the bed. They ripped each other's clothes off and he forgot about everything else, he just concentrated on needs and wants and feeling like a man again.

They rested together afterwards with his chest to her back. He listened to her breathing. It stroked his pride that she sounded exhausted.

He had the impulse to ask her if she wanted to be Queen, but resisted. She had chided him for being immature, and proposing after he slept with her once probably wouldn't be a good strategy on his part. He wasn't sure yet if that was what he even wanted. For all he knew this was a one-time only event.

He got out of bed and started to get dressed.

She asked, "Are you leaving me so soon?"

He said nonchalantly, "I have to get back to the palace."

She narrowed her eyes and said coldly. "Well, I have to return to work too. I do have a kingdom of my own to run."

He tried to appraise her. Most likely she was feeling vulnerable and trying not to seem needy. He wondered how much of her confident, queenly persona was an act, the same way he hid his doubts and self-loathing under a mask of arrogance and contempt for the world.

Loki half-smiled and returned to the bed.

He reassured her, "I will come back for you."

She looked like she was relieved but trying not to show how much.

He absent-mindedly ran the palm of his hand along her hip. He felt a raised pattern and pulled the sheet away. She had a yellow branding scar in the shape of what appeared to be four horns.

He asked, "What's this?"

"It's the mark of my faith, the Sons of Satannish. I hate the name, it's so sexist and most witches are female."

"You let a cult brand you?"

"It's more than a cult, it's the source of my powers, and power always has a price. All sorcery originally comes from the Demon Lords."

Loki perked up when she mentioned power.

"Demon Lords like Surtur?"

She said. "You're on friendly terms with him now; maybe you could ask him about it."

"I'll need more of the Odin Force before I face any more demons. Being with you drained me. In a good way."

She smiled and he kissed her again. He wondered what he was getting entangled into with her.

To be continued.


	10. Chapter 10

**The Poisoned Crown Chapter 10**

**By: Cadet Deming**

**I don't own the rights to Thor, Marvel does, so please don't sue. Rated T for violence, adult language and situations. Includes spoilers and possible missing scenes from Thor: The Dark World. Reviews are appreciated.**

Loki returned to the palace to be warned by Lord Tyr, "Thor has returned your majesty. Word got through to him about the fire demons. He is not happy."

Loki said, "Bring him to my chambers."

He felt more prepared to meet him this time. When Thor entered his room, he hung his hammer on the wall. It taunted him that a mere coat hanger could support it, but if Loki tried to lift it himself he'd be deemed "unworthy."

Thor said, "I arrived the fastest I could. I am glad you handled the invasion with your wisdom, but I do not like having the demons so close to us. What is to stop them from using these settlements as a base to attack us from within, to bide their time and wait for us to drop our guard? If you were going to give them land, why not the land in Svartalfheim? That entire realm is now unpopulated."

Loki liked to think of himself as having the brains and guile of the two brothers, while Thor was the more naïve and lacking in common sense. He had to admit Thor had a point. Perhaps Loki's own betrayals of him over the past few years had made him worldlier.

Loki said, "I am not saying I disagree with you, but I did what I had to do. I did not consider the land of Svartalfheim as it is not mine to give. Would you have me be dishonorable and break my truce? Would you attack them with your thunder and lightning in the night? Even you are not that strong."

Thor looked frustrated. "I…I do not know. I should have at least been here. If you need me to return to the realm to at least keep guard I will."

Loki didn't want Thor to stay in Asgard and witness his erratic behavior.

Loki said carefully, "That is why I am king and you are not. I will do what I can to solidify my alliances with the demons. I suspect you wish to return to assuage your guilty conscience for leaving. Or have things soured between you and Jane Foster?"

Thor's expression looked dejected. "You still do not approve of her, as you disapprove of so many of my actions."

Loki had spent so much time festering with resentment about Odin not favoring or connecting with him, he overlooked that Thor may have also struggled with the same issues.

It shouldn't have surprised Loki that Odin didn't like Thor dating a woman of Midgard. He had long expressed the opinion that Midgardians were the weakest of the residents of the Realms, and yet Asgardians were still expected to protect their lives. It was another contradictory hypocrisy taught in his youth he had grown to question.

Loki said, "It is your life to live. I will not interfere with your choice of partner, and I expect you to do the same for me."

"I will not be taken by surprise if you announce I will have a new stepmother, soon. Most likely a woman as young as me or younger. I will not object, though it will be awkward."

Loki was a little impressed by his brother's newfound savvy.

He smiled, "Actually, she may be older than you think."

Thor said, "I wish only for your happiness and the good of Asgard. Will you give me your blessing if I intend to marry Jane Foster?"

Loki said, "You suggest returning to Asgard, yet you wish to marry her?"

"I was hoping to have the wedding here. Jane has no living family and only a few true companions. It would make more sense to…"

Loki interrupted, "You are not inviting the Avengers here."

Thor said, "I was not going to ask them. Just Doctor Erik Selvig and Darcy."

Loki winced when he mentioned Selvig. He had used magic to hijack Selvig's mind when he tried to take over Earth.

Loki ran his hands along the Gungnir scepter thinking.

He finally said, "I will allow this wedding to take place, but I do not want you flitting back and forth between realms. Marry Jane Foster here in the palace and then be gone until I order you back as needed."

Thor stared at him with hurt in his eyes. "It sounds as if you are trying to banish me away."

"If I was going to banish you, I would be more…melodramatic about it."

Thor sighed. "True. I heard word you are building a statue of Loki."

Loki gave him a dirty look and asked menacingly, "And?"

He braced for a barrage of how awful Thor considered him to be.

Thor said, "I am glad, but would not a statute of mother be also appropriate? Or even a memorial for all of the Asgardians who died by the Dark Elves hand? In Midgard, the New Yorkers built a memorial for every human who perished from the Chitauri invasion. All lives are valuable…to them."

Guilt crept through Loki's darkened heart. His actions indeed left a body count.

He said, "I will take it under advisement."

Thor said, "I do have another concern about Loki."

Loki raised his eyebrow.

Thor said, "His body was never buried at sea. I thought it might have been done while I was busy in other realms, but there are no records of his remains ever being brought back."

Loki was getting nervous. "Things were chaotic here. What do you wish to do?"

"I would like to scout the area more thoroughly, to giver him a proper burial so he can enter Valhalla."

"Do you truly believe Loki is destined for Valhalla, or somewhere…darker?"

Thor looked sad. "I would like to hope for the best, but would not be surprised otherwise. Are there spells that can be done to look into the underworld?"

"That Dark Magic is beyond even my abilities."

"I would like to research the possibilities further. It would eliminate the other alternative."

"Which is?"

"If no one found a body, perhaps he is still alive, and faking his death was his final trick. It is not that I want to believe that. If I did I would never forgive him for such a ruse."

Loki kept a straight face. "I suspect you do not want to accept his death. I will research the magic behind this myself and order another scouting contingent to the realm. Concentrate on your wedding. You are free to return to Midgard."

Thor left. Loki wearied of the masquerade he had to hide behind.

He journeyed to the fire demons' encampment. The soldiers had set up makeshift residences around the rim of the closest volcano. He noticed they huddled together around fires.

Loki made himself visible and declared flamboyantly, "I am Loki. Take me to your leader Surtur."

The soldiers pointed their swords at him and snarled.

Loki rephrased. "Take me to your leader…please?"

"Lord Surtur is in with his wives."

"How many wives does he have?"

"One thousand and twenty-five."

"No wonder you have an overpopulation problem."

The guards looked confused.

Loki said, "May I wait then?"

They led him to a cave inside of the volcano. Again he was overcome by heat. He craved something to do like read a spell book, or listen to music or even have an intelligent conversation. He noticed Surtur seemed reasonably intelligent, but his followers seemed quite simple.

Sometime later he heard Surtur bellow, "Why did you not tell me he was here?!"

The guards returned and led him through the deeper chambers. It was like descending into Hell.

To be continued.


	11. Chapter 11

**The Poisoned Crown Chapter 11**

**By: Cadet Deming**

**I don't own the rights to Thor, Marvel does, so please don't sue. Rated T for violence, adult language and situations. Includes spoilers and possible missing scenes from Thor: The Dark World. Please read and review, it's very motivating.**

Surtur appeared much shorter than Loki remembered. He thought it was a trick of the feeble light, but this time he came up to Surtur's waist instead of being dwarfed by him.

Loki asked, "Have you shrunk by magic?"

"I save energy when not in battle. I do not always wish to create earthquakes with my steps. Why are you here?"

"Can I not simply be friendly with a new ally and bring goodwill?"

"I was born at the dawn of time. I was not born yesterday."

Loki checked his tail. He was waving it around rapidly. Loki would love to play poker with a creature like Surtur.

Loki said, "I am interested in your magical abilities. Is it true that all sorcery comes from demons?"

Surtur rested on an outcropping of rocks. "From the Dimension Lords, offspring of the Old Ones, the original rulers before lesser beings started to record time. I am energy incarnate, heat made flesh, power transformed to reality."

Loki repressed the urge to make a sarcastic comment.

"Is it possible for me to learn your gifts?"

"I do not give gifts to those who are not my children."

Loki flashed his puppy-dog smile. "Can you adopt me then? Because adoption has worked out so well for me in the past."

Surtur's tail wagged faster. "You are too cold for my tribe, in more ways than one."

Loki remembered how as a child Eir the Royal Family's doctor said his temperature was abnormally cool. His mother commented that compared to Thor who was always rushing off and exposing himself to the elements, Loki never seemed to even get a fever. He understood why years later it was because of his Frost-Giant blood.

Surtur said, "I will not give for free, but for a price I can put you in touch with the other Demon Lords. We're having a meeting in 2 hours, if you are interested."

Loki realized it wouldn't give him enough time to run back and speak to Karnilla first. He questioned why speaking to Karnilla was his first reaction.

He was very, very interested, but feigned calmness. His sweat from the oppressive heat probably wasn't helping.

"Possibly, but I would like to know your price."

A smile curled across Surtur's lips. "Give me something more to burn."

Loki thought of Thor's suggestion. "Svartalfheim."

"Svartalfheim is a ruin, and even the false king of Asgard has no claim to that land."

Loki frowned when he called him "false" even though it was true.

"True, but it is a wasteland filled with abandoned warships, miles long and filled with fuel. Highly flammable fuel. I could loan you use of the Rainbow Bridge to claim it."

Surtur's yellow eyes flashed and his tail stopped wagging. "I agree. Oil is always a precious commodity. I will take you with me tonight. Be warned, the majority of Demon Lords are a group of manipulative, power-mad liars obsessed with magic and inter-dimensional politics."

"I think I should get along fine with them then. Do I have enough time for a shower first?"

"Be back quickly."

Loki hurried back to his chambers and scrubbed himself with the coldest water in the pipes of the palace. He needed it to wipe away the heat of Surtur's lair as well as his own guilt.

Loki stared at his reflection without using any glamour or illusions. When Loki had fallen into crime over the past few years, he kept telling himself it was for the right reasons, that he was doing it for the benefit of Asgard or even Midgard, and that he was not "the bad guy." He blamed everyone but himself, everyone but the man in the mirror. When he got increasingly more ruthless, it was because he had no choice. No one was forcing him to go to this meeting of the presumed Evil League of Evil.

He whispered to the mirror. "I'm doing this for the good of the Nine Realms."

Loki heard the lie in his own voice.

He spoke louder, "I'm doing this for Asgard."

He still saw the lie in his own eyes.

"I'm doing this for me."

He smashed the mirror with his fist.

**OOO-OOO-OOO-OOO**

Surtur led Loki through a hall. "This is a nexus between worlds. It's neutral land."

Loki traced his hand along a door. He felt something seething behind it.

Surtur warned, "Be careful what you touch. You may get dragged into a hell dimension."

Loki pulled his hand back quickly.

Surtur came to a dark door. It was covered with a language he didn't understand, but still managed to look sinister.

"What language is this? What does it mean?"

Surtur said, "It is in ancient Hyperborean. It translates to the motto: "What is in it for me?"'

"At least you're honest."

Surtur opened the door. The room was filled with a large table and chairs. One chair was significantly larger than the rest. It was a throne that appeared to be made of bent swords melted together. The various creatures in the room seemed to be avoiding it.

The demons appeared to be gathered in cliques. Demons with horns on their heads gathered in one corner. The ones with scales congregated in another. One group was filled with a group that resembled giant squid with large eyes and no visible mouths. Loki wondered how they could communicate with each other.

Only one demon seemed alone in the crowd. He was very mortal-looking. Other than his red skin and eyes, he could have been a mortal with an extreme Widow's Peak. He sat with his feet perched disrespectfully on the table.

Loki saw a gathering of what appeared to be the Valkyries of Asgardian lore: Beautiful women with the wings of birds. He wondered if they would know if his mother was with them.

He whispered to Surtur, "Those women over there, could you introduce me to…"

Surtur cut him off, "Do not waste your time. They are the Angels of Death."

"So angels are mixed in with demons? I'm a bit confused."

Surtur handed him a large book. "It is complicated. Read the manual."

Loki held the book up distastefully. "Is this bound with human skin?"

"Humanoid. Come, there is someone I want you to meet."

Surtur dragged him over to the group of horned demons.

"Loki Friggason, this is Satannish the Supreme."

A large green demon turned its head to look at him. At least he turned one of his heads. The top head on his shoulders had four goat-like curved horns, in the same pattern as on Karnilla's tattoo. The second head was inside of his stomach, and filled with razor sharp pointed teeth. He had four sets of yellow eyes. The top eyes looked friendly and welcoming. The bottom eyes were filled with rage. If Loki had met him in a dark alley he would have run away screaming.

Satannish said, "Loki! So good to finally meet. I've heard so much about you."

Loki felt partially flattered, and partially suspicious. He feigned innocence.

"Thank you. From who?"

"From Surtur, and Karnilla of course. She and I go way back. I've been her Godfather since she sold her soul to me a few thousand years ago."

Loki didn't like the idea of Karnilla talking about him to anyone. He vowed to speak to her when he returned.

He said dryly, "I've seen your statues in her palace but I must say they don't do your true appearance justice."

All four of Satannish's eyes narrowed. "A word of friendly advice kid. Don't condescend to me…ever."

Loki nodded quickly. He tried to salvage things. "So, you have your own cult. That's very impressive."

All four of Satannish's eyes lit up and both heads smiled. "I love having fans."

"Your speech is very Midgardian."

"I rule a limbo dimension which gets boring, so I binge watch a lot on Netflix. Anything gangster-related is my favorite. How about you and I get together and talk business over lunch or dinner or breakfast. I don't care what as long as food is involved. Astral project me about it."

One of the creatures boomed, "I Belasco as parliamentarian call for the meeting to begin."

Everyone scrambled for a chair. Loki gravitated to the throne. It didn't look comfortable, but still beckoned to him. He placed his hand on the armrest.

Satannish said, "That's my father's chair. Don't even think of sitting there. The others will tear you apart for it."

Loki picked a seat between Surtur and one of the squid-like beasts. It stared at him with one disturbing pale blue eye.

The meeting began. Loki noted the demons were more orderly and polite than his own court under Odin. Perhaps the threat of being ripped apart by each other kept them in line.

After "New Business" was called Surtur said, "I formally submit a request for admission to Loki Friggason of Asgard."

Belasco said, "Do I have a second?"

One of Satannish's heads said, "I second."

His other head said, "I third it."

Belasco frowned. "We've gone through this before, Satannish. You only get one vote."

The red demon with his feet still on the table snickered. Loki noticed no one sat on either side of him.

One of the Valkyrie/Angels of Death said, "I give a third. Let the Asgardian speak."

Belasco turned to Loki, "You have one minute."

Loki stood and faced the eyes of varying colors and levels of malevolence.

He put on a confident air. "Thank you ladies, gentlemen, and octopus…things. I am Loki, serving as All-Father of the Nine Realms and most importantly king of Asgard under the guise of Odin. I control the Odin Force and am willing to do business with any of you if accepted."

The red demon asked, "Where is the real Odin now?"

Belasco said to his questioner, "Mephisto, you're speaking out of turn. But I would like to know the answer to the question."

Loki answered quickly, "He's dead. I killed him myself."

Mephisto said, "If Odin were dead, wouldn't he end up in one of our death dimensions by now?"

Loki felt the suspicious glares burning into him. There couldn't be a worse place to be caught lying.

He said, "In all fairness, I never did find a body. But the fact of the matter remains I am in complete control of Asgard. I have access to every weapon of mass destruction in its arsenal from the Rainbow Bridge to the Casket of Ancient Winters to the Aether and will not hesitate to use them against those who oppose me. You can elect me as an ally or you can deny me and make me an enemy. I think it is clear what the wise choice is."

Loki waited for their response, wondering if someone would call his bluff and he was about to die. Surtur wagged his tail in a thousand directions, but didn't speak.

Belasco said, "I call a vote, all in favor of letting Loki into the League say 'Aye'".

A chorus called out "Aye". The squid beasts raised their tentacles.

"All opposed 'Say thee nay.'"

The room was silent, even Mephisto, who just stared at him appraisingly.

"The 'ayes' have it. Welcome aboard Loki."

**000-000-000-000**

After the meeting ended Loki used the facilities and washed his hands in the sink basin. The place reminded him of something he could find in an upscale location on Midgard. The lights gave off a phosphorescent glow.

The room was made up of a bronze rock that could have been volcanic. He looked at the patterns and swore he saw the faces of people screaming as if they were trapped within the rock. He blinked and the image went away.

He closed his eyes and splashed his face with water. Like an animal in the wild, he sensed he wasn't alone, that there was something or someone predatory nearby.

When he opened his eyes, Mephisto was standing beside him. Loki stood his ground.

The demon said, "I hope you didn't mind my questioning. I didn't mean any harm by it. My full name is Mephistopheles. Mephisto for short."

His voice was oily and silky at once.

"No offense taken. What dimension do you control?"

Mephisto deadpanned, "Disneyland."

"I take it you've been to Midgard."

"I love Earth. It has the best culture of any dimension: Cuban coffee, American Horror Story on TV, the Paranormal Activity movies."

Loki said, "Earth has changed much over the past century."

"Until a hundred years ago the planet was a joke. It was so easy to just wave magic around and be worshipped."

Loki said wistfully. "I know."

Mephisto smiled, "I tricked the ancient native Mexicans into thinking I was a god and told them only people sacrificed to me and royalty got into Heaven and everyone else got sent to one of the nine levels of Hell. I set it up to be the opposite though; anyone who volunteered to have their heart ripped out in my honor actually did end up in my hell dimension."

The light behind Mephisto cast a twisted shadow. It wasn't even remotely humanoid, but looked like tendrils of tentacles and smoke.

He asked Loki, "Do you smoke?"

Mephisto held open a box of Midgardian cigars. "They're Cubans. I cut an immortality deal with Fidel Castro, so I get these unlimited."

Loki didn't smoke anything but was trying to fit in. He took a cigar.

Mephisto flicked his hand and a flame appeared at the tip of his finger. He lit the cigar and handed it to Loki.

Loki asked, "Do all demons have power over fire?"

Mephisto lit his own cigar. "Different demons have different skill sets. Is that what you want? Power over fire?"

Loki figured he could just as easily get that from Surtur.

He said slowly, "What power can you grant me that I don't already have?"

"I can get you anything you want, if you give me your soul."

**To be continued**


	12. Chapter 12

**The Poisoned Crown Chapter 12**

**By: Cadet Deming**

**I don't own the rights to Thor, Marvel does, so please don't sue. Rated T for violence, adult language and situations. Includes spoilers and possible missing scenes from Thor: The Dark World. Please review, it's appreciated**

Loki asked, "And what exactly do you plan on doing with my soul?"

Mephisto blew out a smoke ring. "The same thing I do with all of the souls that end up under my jurisdiction; anything I want to after you die."

Loki shuddered, but tried to hide it.

He said, "I think I'd prefer to keep my spirit intact. Could I trade you some land in Svartalfheim instead?"

Mephisto circled him. His footsteps didn't sound like shoes, but the hooves of the goats that drew Odin's chariot.

He whispered low enough to force Loki to stay closer to him; "You're already marked for a hell dimension anyhow. At least with me you get to choose where you end up."

Loki vowed to read the book Surtur gave him to understand how the underworld works. He couldn't say it was a surprise that he was marked for hell. He still wanted to fight it.

Loki said, "Why do I have the feeling that if I agreed to trade my soul for whatever wish you granted, you'd arrange for me to die shortly afterwards?"

Mephisto laughed. "Clever boy. You have my number. I'll admit that the wishes I grant sometimes lead to buyer's remorse, but that's only when I deal with inferiors, people too stupid to read the fine print or who make their requests vague enough to be open to my unique interpretation. But surely a man as brilliant as you could play the game and win."

Loki had a deep need to prove he was the smartest man in the room. In Asgard he was never the strongest or best fighter, but he at least could be the wittiest. Many of his supposed tricks and deceptions were ways of showing off. Although every instinct he had was screaming not to deal with the demon in front of him, his pride was pulling him towards Mephisto's bait.

Loki said, "Hypothetically speaking, and I'm not agreeing to anything without putting it in writing, what if you made me immortal?"

He drew closer, "If you are truly of Asgard, aren't you near immortal anyhow? Why waste a wish on something you already have? Except you're not really Asgardian, I'm sensing Frost Giant blood in you. They used to worship me as a god long ago in Jotunheim. How old are you?"

Loki hated how easily other supernatural beings could see through his disguises.

He answered "I'm around 1,200 and I think you're just trying to talk me out of immortality because that is the one thing that keeps you from taking a soul."

Mephisto's shadow on the ground seemed to bleed into Loki's, like it was consuming him whole.

He locked his eyes on Loki and said, "I have a deeper claim on you than you know. But let's keep playing. What specific kind of immortality do you want?"

Loki thought of everything he knew about science and biology and how he could use it to outsmart the demon.

He said, "Healing factor. I want to be able to recover from any injury and not age, just to regenerate the same healthy way I started out."

"Does every man secretly want to be Wolverine? OK, let's go with that."

Mephisto snapped his fingers and a contract appeared out of thin air. He handed it towards Loki. Instinct told him not to take it, to just walk away. Curiosity made him want to at least read it. He told himself that was all he was going to do, he was only going to read, what harm could come from it?

Loki took the parchment and read. His eyes kept coming back to the words "Immortality" that seemed to blur everything else on the page.

Mephisto smiled smugly, took Loki's cigar and exchanged it for a pen. He put the cigar out on his own arm. It sizzled, but Loki barely registered it. He felt like he was in a trance.

Loki said, "Could I take this home with me?"

"For what, to run it by a lawyer who specializes in magical demon contract law? Time is running out. This is a one time offer."

Loki said, "I think…I need…"

The door swung open and Satannish burst in and grabbed the papers away. "If you value your afterlife, I wouldn't sign anything with my brother if I were you."

Loki felt like someone had poured a drink in his face. He suspected the contract had been tampered with or enchanted somehow. He snapped out of whatever state he had fallen into.

Loki said, "You two are brothers? Funny I don't see a family resemblance."

Mephisto said, "Twins actually. Obviously not identical."

Satannish sneered at his brother, "There's a reason for that."

Mephisto smiled smugly. "You're interfering with my affairs again. Do I have to tell father?"

Loki wondered who their "father "really was. Was it the entity the Midagardians thought of as Satan or Lucifer?

Satannish said, "Do I have to tell him you were smoking again?"

Mephisto's voice rose from silky to whiny. "It was Loki's cigar. I was just holding it for him."

Loki said, "You are such a liar. And that parchment you gave me was tainted."

Satannish held the contract up. "Yeah, let me see. You know using enchanted contracts is against rule 616.34."

Mephisto grabbed for it. "Give it back, it's mine."

Loki marveled at how beings like demons could wield so much power, and still manage to act like schoolchildren in the presence of family. In all fairness, it wasn't much different than how his family behaved.

Loki muttered, "And I thought Thor and I were bad about sibling rivalry."

Satannish read aloud, "Clause 13: Loki agrees to allow demonic possession of his body at any time for eternity. Despite being technically alive, he may also be called to serve in Mephisto's realm, hereafter known as Hell Dimension Level 9, to serve at his pleasure and diversion. Oh and this clause is written in ancient Hyperborean. Loki, can you even read Hyperborean?"

Loki intentionally stood keeping Satannish between himself and Mephisto and grabbed the parchment a corner of the parchment.

Loki said, "No, I don't recall being able to read this. And I don't like the subtext in, "'serving under your pleasure and diversion.'"

Mephisto grinned and winked at him. "Oh, I include that phrase in all my paperwork. It's just demonic legalese."

Loki said, "Is that supposed to be less disturbing or more disturbing? And what is the penalty for breaking rule 616.34? Because I think I'd like to lodge a complaint."

Mephisto said, "Forget about the damn deal."

He waved his hand and the contract burst into flames. Loki and Satannish both let go.

Mephisto said, "I wouldn't think about reporting me for this. You don't have any written evidence now which means it's your words against mine. Everyone around here knows my darling brother would say anything to destroy me. And Loki here, well, his first recorded words to the Council were to obviously lie about Odin, so not much credibility there either."

Satannish gave Loki shifty side glances with both of his heads.

Loki said, "You're right, I'm a pathological liar. It's been wonderful meeting you. You make a great first impression."

Mephisto growled as he walked past Loki to the door, "I will have your soul, boy."

Satannish muttered, "Psychopath."

Mephisto said, "Loser" and slammed the door behind him.

Satannish said, "Sorry about that."

Loki asked, "It's not your fault. We don't pick our families. Thank you for saving me from your brother. Should I be afraid of him?"

Satannish said, "Honestly, it's one thing for me to fight with him because we're equally matched, but if he gets a claim on your spirit, be terrified. He's the only Dimension Lord who eats souls, as in complete cessation of existence. It's the ultimate punishment."

Loki rested on the side of the bathroom counter, contemplating things. He thought about the blackness that overtook him in sleep.

He said, "Mephisto said I'm already marked for a hell dimension."

"All humanoids with a soul get marked for a heaven, neutral/limbo, or hell dimension based on a combination of faith and their actions in life. Most people are a mixture of good and evil and end up somewhere neutral. It's why I purposely picked to rule a limbo land. I'm more about numbers."

Loki sighed in despair, "Do I have any chance of not ending up in a hell?"

Satannish said, "With your record, if you saved the universe you still wouldn't come out ahead enough for a heaven or Valhalla or whatever you seek. There are alternatives."

Loki said bitterly, "Is this the part where you offer me immortality in exchange for my soul because everyone always wants something in return, to play on my gratitude for rescuing me from your brother?"

Both of Satannish's faces frowned at him. "I don't want your soul, Loki."

He got offended, "What do you mean you don't want my soul? Are you trying to use reverse-psychology on me?"

"In my current territory I can only claim people marked for neutral. Plus, no offense, but I don't think I'd want you running around in my afterlife. You tend to cause trouble."

Loki smirked. "So make me immortal and I promise not to visit."

Satannish said, "I don't like doing the immortality deal. No one is ever happy with it. It's fine for the first few decades, until all of their loved ones die off. And if you think you're paranoid now…"

Loki said, "Is my paranoia so unjustified?"

"You don't trust me?"

Satannish clapped his hands and said, "Cone of silence."

The atmosphere grew tense, like he was in an airtight drum.

Satannish said, "I know you and Karnilla are keeping Odin in Section 33 of Dimension 67, and that you can't crack open the Odin Force. If I was planning on screwing you over, I would have taken the body for myself by now. I've been helping you more than you know."

"And what do you want in return?"

Satannish smiled. He looked as carnivorous as his brother.

"It's simple really. The realms of Niffleheim, Valhalla and Hel, the Asgardian lands of the dead. I want control of all of them. Every single soul."

To be continued.


	13. Chapter 13

**The Poisoned Crown Chapter 13**

**By: Cadet Deming**

**I don't own the rights to Thor, Marvel does, so please don't sue. Rated T for violence, adult language and situations. Please read and review.**

**Author's Note: I don't know if my last chapter "jumped the shark", but this and the next chapters will be more Asgard-centric.**

"Karnilla, I would have words with you," Loki said.

He came to Nornheim in a rainstorm, and the cold water dripped through his hair. She hustled him inside, throwing a blanket over his shoulders.

A thousand thoughts raced in his mind about how Karnilla and Satannish were plotting to steal all of the Odin Force from him, and how the only reason she was interested in him was because she was trying to get him to let his guard down. He was afraid Odin may already be gone from the dimension Karnilla kept him in.

She said, "It is after one o'clock in the morning. Did you really come to me just for words?"

He glared at her, "I want to see Odin now. I want to take him back with me."

Lightning flashed, illuminating Karnilla's face. She looked angry. He wondered if they came to blows sorcery against sorcery if he could beat her if he had to.

Thunder rolled in the distance.

She asked, "Where do you plan on taking him that is more secure than with me? Are you trying to break our agreement? And I wish you would astral project me first before randomly dropping by."

"Why, so you can plan your little conspiracies about me with your demon Godfather or cult leader or whatever he is? I don't like you telling Satannish or any demons for that matter where my father is being held. I am getting so tired of demons."

He searched her face for any sign of guilt or recognition. The look in her eyes was wary.

She said, "I don't know what you are so upset about. I had to use my benefactor's magic to open the splinter dimension so he would find out anyhow. I only told you about him because you asked. All someone has to do is wave the promise of more power in front of you and you run off like a hound chasing wounded prey. I think the demons you should be worried about are those in your own unstable mind. You are acting very paranoid."

"Oh yes, because I've never been accused of being mad before. How original!"

Thunder clapped.

She said, "Well if enough people question your sanity, is that not a sign they have a point? What happened today? Did my Godfather threaten you?"

"Well…no. He was actually very friendly and saved my soul from another demon."

She deadpanned, "How awful of him. What else did he say that has gotten you so upset?"

He thought of mentioning Mephisto, except his memory filled him with so much of a sense of malevolence and dread, he didn't even want to say his name aloud.

Loki said, "My soul is damned to a hell dimension, unless I stop being selfish and start doing enough good deeds to earn my way into a neutral death dimension, as I have no hope of getting into any heavens. And he wouldn't grant me any wishes unless I gave him control of the Realm of the Dead."

Karnilla cradled his face. "That is actually very good advice. Satannish and I are not your enemies, Loki. If you look for enemies everywhere you go, you'll only end up creating more of them."

Loki asked, "What deal did you cut with him?"

"My soul and the souls of all I recruit to his cult in Nornheim in exchange for agelessness with the potions, illusions and transformation package."

He gripped her hands and locked his eyes on her. "Was selling your soul worth it?"

She looked thoughtful and said, "If I knew then what I knew now, I wouldn't have wished for the form of immortality of agelessness."

Loki glanced at her picture of "Beloved Baldur."

He asked, "Did everyone you love die?"

She nodded. He felt a twinge of jealousy, even over a dead man.

Karnilla said, "I do not regret the rest. The educational value I've gotten from Satannish has helped me out much in life, but I will admit he can be pricy and his dimension is competitive to get into. I thought about selling my soul to Shuma-Gorath, but he demands the sacrifice of your first-born child. The Great God Pan needed a score of 1800 on the Dark Magic Wizardry Tests. The Serpent Demon-God Set charges $30,000 a year for room and board in his afterlife. Even with loans I couldn't afford his dimension."

Loki sighed, "Everything has too much of a price. I do wish to see my father now."

Karnilla led him to the space between worlds. Odin looked so peaceful.

"May I have a word with my father alone?"

She disappeared and he knelt before Odin.

"Can you hear what I say, in this state? It is too late to apologize, isn't it? I've done so much in life, so much wrong, so much I can only barely hope to make up for. I am trying to change father, to be a better man. I know you've done some awful things too. Are you marked for a hell? Am I doing you a favor by keeping you alive in this state? I really can't kill you, there's too much blood on my hands. I blame you for that though, your hypocrisy. You taught Thor and me that Midgardians didn't matter, they were like ants and we were gods. But what is the difference between a god and a demon? At least their horns are real."

Loki started laughing. He laughed until he cried.

He said, "I like our talks so much more now."

Loki wiped his eyes and called for Karnilla.

She reappeared and said, "He truly is safer here. Do not make any hasty choices. No man makes a good decision at 1 in the morning. Let us both just get some sleep."

"Sleep?" Loki said slyly. "Is that what you're offering?"

She grinned and kissed him, promising more.

**000-000-000-000-000**

Loki returned to the palace at dawn. He shifted back into Odin's form. Despite only catching an hour or two of sleep, he couldn't help but whistle.

Heimdall blocked his path and boomed, "Did you think you could deceive me?"

Loki felt a lump in his throat and a sense of déjà vu. Heimdall had been the first Asgardian to confront him about his magical deceptions before. Of course he would be the one to figure out who truly was hiding in Odin's form. The irony of this happening after Loki was legitimately trying to turn over a new leaf taunted him.

Loki could blame no one but himself. He had been acting sloppy and for all of his paranoia had failed to cover his most basic tracks.

He clutched Gungnir and looked down the hallway. Heimdall was confronting him alone. How stupid could he be to confront him alone a second time?

Loki casually aimed Gungnir at him, but covered it with an illusion. Although if Heimdall could see through his illusions, what was the point?

He asked, "Deceive you how?"

"I admit, though I could not follow you, I could sense the absences you surround yourself with, rifts in reality, places you blocked from my sight."

Loki snarled, "And what did you see?"

Heimdall said, "You have been spending time in Nornheim, with its queen Karnilla. A former enemy of Asgard. You have been spending much time with the former enemies of Asgard."

Loki prepared to fire and said, "I have been making…peace."

"Yes, making love and not war. Congratulations on finding a new love in your life. I see you have been taking my advice about starting a new family."

Heimdall gave a rare smile.

Loki was dumbfounded. "I…thank you, my good man."

Heimdall gave him a brotherly hug on the shoulder and walked off.

He added, "By the way, Thor returned last night."

"That would explain all of the thunder."

"He wishes to speak with you."

"Send him to my throne room in an hour."

Although Loki could use illusions to cover up his equivalent of the "walk of shame" he still wanted to freshen up. He vowed to be more careful about staying in character.

He returned to the throne room and faced Thor.

Loki said, "I thought you were spending more time on Midgard."

Thor said, "That is what I wish to speak to you about. Blending in there has been more difficult than I presumed. I am rather famous."

"You are famous throughout the other Realms. You are the Mighty Thor. How is Midgard so different?"

"On Midgard the people have technology called Smart phones. They are constantly taking pictures and broadcasting them on the internet. And there are paper…papa-ratzi who take pictures they send to newspapers that are sold in food stores. Jane Foster is very dedicated to her career and it is affecting her. She cannot complete her work."

Loki started to get nervous. What if Thor decided to return permanently?

He said, "And what do you wish for me to do about this?"

"I know you have access to magic. I was thinking of creating a secret identity. During my first trip to Midgard Eric Selvig and Darcy helped me pretend to be Doctor Donald Blake in name, but is there something you can do to disguise me even more? Could you please create an alteration in my appearance?"

Loki repressed the urge to clasp his hands in glee.

He said, "You wish for me to help you deceive others by pretending to be something you are not. That sounds like something Loki would do."

"I am not Loki. I am doing this for noble purposes."

"Very well then, I shall make you Doctor Donald Blake. You will want to keep the hammer with you, so how about I transform it into…say…a walking stick. By making your alter ego appear to be hobbled it will further blur people's perceptions and keep you humbled. I will have Eir implant you with medical knowledge so you can perform as a true physician. I am told doctors are paid very well on Midgard and the more wealth you have, the less likely you are to return to Asgard constantly asking me for money."

Thor's expression changed from happy to sad to happy to bewildered.

"Father that sounds very creative and wise of you."

"Good. When will you and Jane Foster be wed?"

"Next month if it pleases you."

"Is she with child already?"

Thor turned red. "No"

"It pleases me very much then. You are dismissed."

Thor left, giving him a strange look.

Heimdall entered and whispered in his ear Loki's ear, "Sir, you have a visitor. It is one of your bastard sons who I warned you about."

**To be continued. **


	14. Chapter 14

**The Poisoned Crown Chapter 14**

**By: Cadet Deming**

**I don't own the rights to Thor, Marvel does, so please don't sue. Rated T for violence, adult language and situations. Please read and review, it's very encouraging.**

Loki steeled himself. "Send him in alone, and no further visitors until I say so."

Heimdall stared at him quizzically, but complied. A young man entered the throne room. He was tall, taller and broader than Loki. His hair was the exact same shade of blonde as Thor's. A half beard covered his lower chin.

As he drew closer, Loki could see his face was a dead-ringer for a younger version of Odin. He had the All-Father's piercing eyes. Loki had only seen Odin with an eye patch, so to finally see their intensity doubled and looking straight at him, looking straight through him, was disconcerting.

The man was dressed in the clothing of a farmer. He had on thick leather boots that trailed dark mud across the pristine marble floor. His left hand held a walking stick, the poor man's equivalent of Gungnir.

Loki nervously gripped his spear and tried to gain control of the situation.

He said, "The correct etiquette for a commoner approaching the King is to kneel."

The man kneeled, never taking his eyes off of Loki's face. He did appear younger than both Thor and Loki.

He said with a lower-class accent, "Sorry. I was raised away from court. I do not know the details for manners."

"What is your name, boy?"

"I am Vidar."

"Just Vidar? That is not very Asgardian. No "The" or "Son of" in your title?"

Vidar seethed, "How can you look at me and question whose son I am?"

Loki tried to calculate the best strategy for dealing with him.

"Just because we look similar proves nothing. I would be careful about flinging accusations at a sitting king. I must warn you, if you request a blood test, do not expect to find evidence of any relationship between us."

Vidar's eyes welled up. "My first meeting with my father, and this is how you treat me?"

Loki's own father-son issues gnawed at him. He wanted to invite the man to sit in Frigga's chair next to him, but it would feel disrespectful to her and he didn't want Vidar to feel any balance of power was in his favor.

Loki gestured to the top stair beneath the throne. "Have a seat and tell me why you think we are…connected."

Vidar nodded and handed Loki a locket. He opened it. It contained a portrait of a blonde woman. Loki had to admit she was beautiful. He regretted not drilling Heimdall for more information about Odin's infidelities, but couldn't have pressed the issue without giving himself away.

Vidar said, "My mother Gunna, daughter of Bjornson"

Loki asked warily, "Is she still alive?"

"She died three years ago."

"What claims did she make to you about me?"

Vidar said, "That you promised to leave Frigga and marry her, but it was never the right time, you had to put Asgard first. She said when she became pregnant with me you offered her money to go to a witch to end it, but she refused. After I was born you sent her some money for her silence, but she did not speak with you ever again."

Loki said, "What mother tells a child a tale such as this?"

"She did not tell me until her deathbed. For years I thought my stepfather was my true father." 

"Was your stepfather cruel to you?"

"He was not abusive, he was just distant. He had a son with my mother and always favored my half-brother over me. I did not realize until recently why. He could never accept a son who was not his own blood."

Loki couldn't help but empathize with the boy at his feet. It was so much of an echo of what he had gone through with his own upbringing. The only differences were Loki was a different species and had been raised with wealth.

Loki asked, "Did your mother treat you well?"

Vidar asked, "If you care about my welfare so much, why did you leave me? Why did you abandon your own child?"

Odin had told Loki that his biological father King Laufey had left him on a rock to die in a temple on Jotunheim. He never had a chance to ask him why. He didn't have a chance because he killed Laufey, but it was something that still haunted him.

Loki looked at him sadly. "I mean no disrespect to you or your mother by this, but I can honestly say I have no memory of her or you. I am old and have dabbled in Dark Magics that affected my mind. I cannot give you the closure you seek."

Vidar stood up, towering over Loki. "You cannot even remember my mother? Did she mean that little to you?"

"I am sorry. What did you expect to find today?"

"I want my birthright! There are no legitimate heirs, by Asgardian law the throne should be mine next!"

Loki was seeing even more of himself than Odin in this boy.

He stood to his full height. "There are sixteen others with a claim before you. You are not the first to come forward, nor will you be the last."

Vidar looked crestfallen. "Sixteen?! I should never have come. I should have just kept the dream I built up in my head of being king."

"The throne would not make you happy. The kingship of Asgard is a poison. To rule is to be surrounded by threats and enemies on all sides. You would have to constantly choose between the lesser of two evils, to make the hard choices, bargain with the darkest of demons and risk your life for the ungrateful. It is possible that I did love your mother, but could not be with her because a divorce to be with a commoner would have destroyed the land."

Vidar said, "And yet, you claim to not remember her, and I do not see you resigning."

Loki half-smiled and shrugged. "I was raised to be a royalty. I do not know how to do anything else."

"So what happens now?"

Loki suspected he was about to be blackmailed. "What do you want?"

"Are we ever going to have dinner, play a game together, have a father-son talk?"

Loki said, "You would not want me for a father. Of the two sons I raised, one went mad and died twice and the other prefers to live as a commoner on Midgard."

Vidar looked dejected and started to turn around. "I will leave now. I am sorry this did not work well for either of us."

"Wait!"

Loki reached to a chest behind the throne. It had small trinkets and coins, items doled out for charity. It was almost empty, but he found enough for a decent sum. He handed them to Vidar.

Vidar asked, "Is this for my silence?"

"It is for the bravery you took to come here and your future."

"Thank you fath…"

Loki growled.

Vidar finished, "Thank you, sir."

He opened the door and Heimdall greeted him, glanced mysteriously at Loki, and escorted him away.

Loki checked his schedule, saw he had nothing else on the agenda, and pulled out his copy of The Guide to the Council of Demons. He opened to an entry regarding "Ascension to Demonhood."

A voice called out from Frigga's throne, "That kid was totally conning you."

Loki dropped the book and pointed Gungnir as Mephisto materialized into view on his mother's chair. He slouched in Loki's direction.

Loki asked, "Did the book summon you?"

"The book had nothing to do with it. I've been here for a long time. You're not the only one that can turn invisible."

Loki's paranoia increased a thousand times.

"Get out. Get out now."

Mephisto smiled, "Without even offering me a drink first? That's rude. You and I have unfinished business."

"I'm not signing any contract with you."

"I'm not here about that. I want to talk to you about your daddy issues. What did the real Odin tell you about your birth?"

"It is not something I care to discuss with you."

Mephisto draped his feet across Frigga's armrest. "It would be a shame if I cast a truth spell that dissolved all illusions and called your buddy Heimdall or anyone in Asgard that would want you dead."

Loki gulped, but feigned nonchalance when he spoke, "So talk then. You seem so in love with your own voice."

Mephisto smirked. "About 1200 years ago, your real father King Laufey got ambitious. He wanted to conquer all of the realms and terraform them so the Frost Giants could create an empire. He cut a deal with me where I created the Casket of Ancient Winters in exchange for worship. More importantly: sacrifice."

Loki had a feeling where this was going. "One can tell much about a culture by who it chooses for its gods…or demons."

Mephisto said, "The Frost Giants did have a history of violence. It's in the blood. In your blood. Anyhow, Jotunheim was on the brink of winning or losing against Asgard. Odin invaded their home and Laufey was desperate. I demanded one final sacrifice: Laufey's only son."

"Me."

"Exactly. He didn't have the balls to do it himself so I told him to just leave you to die in the cold. Except you didn't die when you were supposed to, so I withdrew my support. That's become a pattern with you, hasn't it? Not dying when you're supposed to?"

Loki wanted to ask if his father loved him, if he cried, if he cared, but didn't want to show any vulnerability in front of such a sadist. He kept quiet, hoping Mephisto would keep gloating and give him more information.

The demon said with a tone that sounded too happy, "The whole affair was tragic. Your father picked the promise of victory over his own child rather quickly. He was always disappointed by you since you were such a runt. Your real mother Farbauti refused to let him, so he had to have her imprisoned by his soldiers. She was so upset she divorced him after the war. She died in poverty thinking Laufey had you killed and the Frost Giants were defeated anyhow, so your sacrifice came to nothing."

Loki said tersely, "How would my death have helped you?"

"It's the only way I can get the souls of innocents in my realm. I need parents to offer me a child under the age of 13. Innocents taste better."

"Well I am obviously over the age of 13."

"And you're obviously not innocent, but it's the principle of the thing."

"A creature that eats the souls of babies has principles."

"When they suit me."

"I am not responsible for Laufey's mistake. You have no claim on my soul."

"Let me make a deal with you. You give me back the Casket of Ancient Winters, and I'll stop trying to possess your spirit. I'll give you 48 hours to decide. If you don't agree, I'll release one of my illusion-dissolving spells. Sleep well tonight."

**To Be Continued.**


	15. Chapter 15

**The Poisoned Crown Chapter 15**

**By: Cadet Deming**

**I don't own the rights to Thor, Marvel and Disney do so please don't sue. Rated T for violence, gore, adult language and situations. Reviews are much appreciated.**

Loki walked to the relic room where Odin kept his "trophies." A guard stood outside, staring into nothing.

Loki asked, "Soldier, how much money are you being paid for your duty?"

"Ten crowns an hour, Your Majesty."

"Ten crowns an hour to protect weapons that could destroy the universe several times over?"

The guard asked brightly, "Are you going to offer me a raise?"

"No. Let me pass. No visitors."

Loki entered the room and locked it behind him. It was too easy to enter. Anyone could have snuck in and overpowered the one guard.

He searched the contents. Normal men had trophy rooms filled with animals killed on hunting trips. Odin had magical artifacts of mass destruction.

The Casket of Ancient Winters gave off its eerie blue light. Loki hated it as much as it was possible to hate an inanimate object. It had caused him so much grief over his life. His life that had been cursed since infancy.

Loki touched its lid and felt himself growing colder. He watched his skin turn the color of the Frost Giants, the species he loathed so much, the part of himself he wished he could run away from. There were no mirrors, but he could see his reflection in a suit of armor. The blue taunted him.

What if he refused Mephisto's request and just gave up, stopped lying, turned off the illusions he hid behind? Thor or even Odin would most likely kill him and send him to whatever hell dimension he deserved.

In another corner of the room, the Tesseract, the crown jewel of the collection, gave off an electrical glow and reminded him why else he couldn't come forward as Loki. Mounted on a wall several feet away was the scepter with the Mind Gem that Loki had used on Earth, loaned to him by Thanos and the Chitaurians. They had promised him a fate worse than death if he failed them. He had failed them spectacularly. He was trapped between devils on all sides.

Loki searched for some sign of hope, something not designed for annihilation. One section of the room held a painting of Frigga. She looked like a Valkyrie.

A glass case on a marble column in front of it held Frigga's engagement and wedding rings. The engagement ring was crafted from Dwarfish gold with a green emerald. He took the ring out, so tiny in his hands. He wanted to live long enough to slide it on a woman's finger himself.

Behind the marble another painting was hidden, its face to the wall. Loki pulled it out. It was a royal family portrait, painted centuries ago when he and Thor were still boys, still living the beautiful lie of their family. Odin, Frigga and Thor were all portrayed with dignified smiles. Loki's face had been scratched out and the painting defaced. He wondered if it was Odin himself who had destroyed it, symbolically casting him from the family before he had disowned him publicly.

Loki would not let anyone erase him from existence, not Odin symbolically or Mephisto literally.

He walked to the scepter with the Mind Gem and held it in his hands. It had affected his brain before, and not for the better. Sitting on the floor, he breathed slowly and remembered how to use it to Astral Project.

Tentatively, he called out, "Satannish are you there?"

He waited, wondering if he was using it correctly.

Finally Satannish's disembodied voice responded, "Loki? I'm eating dinner. Can I call you back in 15 minutes?"

"It's about your brother."

Satannish materialized before him. As Loki was sitting down the head in Satannish's stomach was at his eye level. Its fangs were dripping with blood and flesh.

The demon said, "You have my attention."

Loki told him about Mephisto's threat. Satannish's top face looked thoughtful. His stomach face greedily stared at the weapons in the room.

Satannish said, "There's something I've gotta tell you."

Loki stood up and crossed his arms.

"That night in Jotunheim, when your father left you to die? I was there too, keeping an eye on what Mephisto was doing. I don't like to see him or anyone he backs to win. I used influence of my own to lead Odin to you, whispered in his ear to go right when he could have gone left, slaughtered a few Frost Giants here and there from the shadows to keep his path clear. I saved your life that night. I guess you could say I'm your demon godfather. I told you I've been helping you more than you think."

Loki let that sink in. It was possible Satannish was lying, but his instincts told him he was telling the truth. It made him feel like a pawn. For all of his struggles to be a king, he was only a pawn.

"So I'm alive only because you wanted to spite your brother. My entire accursed existence is from supernatural sibling rivalry."

"Give me a little credit. I have an ethical code. I don't like to see babies die. And you were a cute kid."

"Why tell me this now?"

"I was waiting for the right time."

Loki sighed. "Like me hitting rock bottom? Can you help me again?"

He smiled, "I can, but you know my price: The lands of the dead. Although the Tesseract is looking pretty good to me now too."

"Isn't hurting your brother reward in itself?"

"I always get what I want Loki. I've made investments in you. It's time you paid me my return on them."

"If I survive with my soul intact, Niffelheim, Hel and Valhalla are yours. And I want a power upgrade."

He wanted to be powerful enough to not need to keep making deals, to not be entrapped by the manipulations and rivalries of others, to be his own man. In the mean time he had to do what he needed to survive.

Satannish said, "Deal" and shook Loki's hand. Loki felt a burning in his palm. When he pulled his hand back, there was a yellow branding mark in the center of his fist, the same four horns that Karnilla had on her hip.

"Welcome to the family."

Loki clutched his own hand, "Did I just join the supernatural mafia?"

"From a certain point of view. Here's my plan…"

Satannish gave him details. Loki couldn't help but smile again.

Loki said, "I like it. Of course I'll put my own spin on it and add a few tricks."

"Have fun, kid. I gotta get back to my dimension and finish eating."

"One last issue. As Karnilla's technical Godfather, I suppose I should do the gentlemanly thing."

Satannish cocked an eyebrow at him.

Loki said, "I would like your permission to ask for her hand in marriage."

"Really?"

Loki couldn't read if he was happy or sad about it.

Loki said, "Is that a yes or no?"

Satannish said, "I'll give you my blessing with a warning: Don't screw her over. And even more importantly, don't screw me over. Loyalty hasn't been your strong suit."

"There were reasons for that. I'm changing."

Satannish said, "I hope so. Bad things happen to people who break their vows to me."

The mark on Loki's hand burned.

To Be Continued.


	16. Chapter 16

**The Poisoned Crown Chapter 16**

**By: Cadet Deming**

**I don't own the rights to Thor, Marvel and Disney do so please don't sue. Rated T for violence, gore, adult language and situations. Reviews are much appreciated.**

"Sif, I have a mission for you," Loki said.

She was in the middle of practicing her broadsword with Volstagg. He was out of breath and covered with sweat, while she barely seemed winded. Sif sheathed her weapon and approached him.

"What is your assignment, My Lord?"

Loki noticed she kept her hand wrapped around her sword's handle as she addressed him, as if she was prepared to strike at any moment. He realized this was the first time he'd been close to her since she rejected his offer of marriage.

He said, "It has come to my attention that by holding so many weapons in one inadequately guarded place, Asgard is at risk. I can't have any thieves or aliens or invisible baby-eating demons stealing them."

When he said, "invisible baby-eating demons" Sif and Volstagg exchanged a look.

She asked, "What do you desire for me to do?"

Loki bit his tongue and said, "The Aether has been converted to a gem. It is an Infinity Stone and too powerful to remain with the rest of my relic collection. I want you to take it for safe-keeping to The Collector. He is an Elder of the Universe who serves as a museum curator of unique items."

"I have heard his lair is dangerous."

"I thought you lived for danger. Take Volstagg with you for security."

Volstagg asked, "When must this be done?"

"Now. It must be completed within the next day and a half."

Volstagg said,"May I grab something to eat first?"

Loki sighed and waved his hand, "Eat and run, but be gone within the hour. And not a word about this to anyone else. I'm having it replaced with a fake."

Volstagg left the room with surprising speed for his weight. Sif stared at Loki.

She asked, "Sir, is this assignment a punishment for me?"

Loki grinned. "Lady Sif, how could I punish you more than you seem to want to punish yourself? I am sending several items away with different people. Only I will know the true location of them all. I think of it as insurance."

"And what if something were to happen to you?"

"That is where the insurance portion comes in."

He watched her hand on the hilt.

Sif asked, "And if you fall into the Odin Sleep, what protection will the kingdom have then?"

"I do not sleep much these days."

"That does not surprise me."

Loki glared at her. "Be careful with your tone. I already gave you a second chance for your treason. Do not test my mercy or I will show you what real punishment truly is."

"Sir, I meant it did not surprise me because of all of the extra trials that have befallen Asgard. I meant no offense by it."

Loki wondered if she was sincere or just trying to backtrack. Sif had always had a big mouth and impulsive way about her.

When Loki had ruled Asgard briefly as himself, she was the first to openly defy him. Was history repeating itself? Had she figured out his disguise? Women seemed to intuitively see through Loki better than men did, although most females were a mystery to Loki. Or was he just being more paranoid after Mephisto's threat to expose him?

He asked testing her, "Are you refusing this mission?"

She placed both hands by her sides, bowed to him and said, "No. I would not disobey my king. I will leave with Volstagg as soon as he finishes his meal."

Loki watched her depart with suspicion.

**000-000-000-000-000-000-000-000**

He hoped Karnilla was in a more pliant mood as he approached her castle in disguise. Even though Heimdall could sense his presence, he still didn't want Nornheim's random residents to see him. Sneaking around to be with her was starting to wear on his nerves. He prayed she would say yes so he wouldn't have to continue to do so.

Loki watched her signing declarations on her throne. She appeared collected and regal. Whatever doubts Loki had about her, at least he knew she was well-versed in how to be a queen.

He greeted her and whispered, "I need to talk to you alone about something life-changing."

She looked intrigued, gave a vague excuse to her guards, and they met up in her chambers.

She asked, "Life-changing for you or for me?"

"For both of us."

He bent down on one knee. It was something he normally hated doing. He far preferred for others to kneel for him, but Loki's sense of drama took over.

He opened a jewelry box and showed her the ring. Her mouth dropped open in surprise.

Loki said, "As king of Asgard, I could have any woman I want."

"Arrogance is not really a good way to start a marriage proposal. I know it is very you, but…"

"The point I'm trying to make is that out of all of the women I could choose from, you are the one I pick. You are the only one I want to share my life and the crown with. The moments I spend with you are some of the happiest I have had, ever. I feel like you and I are truly kindred spirits."

She took the ring from him, but didn't slide it on.

Karnilla asked, "Are you asking me to marry you as Odin, or as Loki?"

"As Odin."

"So our marriage would be a lie then? And what would happen to Nornheim if I married you as Odin? Would it just be annexed into Asgard?"

This was not the response Loki was hoping for.

He frowned. "Your kingdom could stay technically separate, but under Asgard's jurisdiction. As All-Father I would be emperor. Shouldn't you be gleefully saying yes now?"

"It is not that simple. As a head of state I have to consider my responsibilities to my people."

Rage pierced his heart. "Are you rejecting me?"

She placed her free hand on his cheek.

"I…no. No, I'm not. If you and I were to marry, I would want to marry Loki. That is the man I have grown to care for."

He covered her hand with his. "I would like that as well. Unfortunately, Loki is dead and Odin is the one who needs a legitimate heir."

She looked sad. "An heir? I should have known that was what this is really about."

Loki pulled back, "Can you even have children, at your age?"

"With magical help I should be able to."

"Does it seem like we depend on magic too much?"

Karnilla turned his hand over and stared at the burned mark on his palm. She traced it and gave him a look of quiet acceptance.

She said, "It seems you and I truly are kindred spirits now. Perhaps it is fate. The Goddesses of Fate told me centuries ago that I would never bear children with a man of Asgard born. Except you're not technically of Asgard born."

Loki said, "I could be your loophole of destiny. These Fates sound tricky."

She placed the ring on her finger. "Destiny sounds romantic. Loophole, not so much."

"What if we had two marriages? We'll elope in private and that will be the true union under both of our real names. You'll publicly marry Odin and we'll work out the diplomatic details."

"My wedding present to you could be a visit to the Fates."

"Is that a "Yes" then?"

Karnilla knelt in front of him and hugged him tightly.

She said with convincing enthusiasm, "Yes. Yes, a thousand times yes."

**To be continued**


	17. Chapter 17

**The Poisoned Crown Chapter 17**

**By: Cadet Deming**

**I don't own the rights to Thor, Marvel and Disney do so please don't sue. Rated T for violence, gore, adult language and situations. Reviews are much appreciated.**

Loki held Thor's wedding invitation in his hand. It was gaudy and decorated with blue and silver. The upcoming ceremony and reception were going to cost more than the kingdom should be paying now, and cut into any budget for Loki's own upcoming public nuptials. Once again Thor was upstaging him.

Loki felt his old brotherly rivalry returning. As a boy Loki didn't exactly dream about a future wedding day the way that girls were notorious for doing, but he still had a few ideas about the spectacle of it, namely for it to be a chance to pull focus away from Thor. Now both his "real" and "fake" weddings were going to have to be overshadowed.

He took out a parchment and wrote his own wedding announcement:

_"King Odin, Son of Bor, Protector of the Realms announces his marriage in three months time to Queen Karnilla, Daughter of Angrboda. It is a second marriage for both of them_."

He placed it on his bedroom side table and checked his watch. Mephisto's 48 hours were coming to a close. Loki didn't look forward to seeing the demon again, but he wanted to get things over with.

Loki was reminded of how horror movies on Midgard would have stretches of anticipation before the monster would jump out. The waiting was the worst part.

The mirror he had shattered earlier was still cracked. He picked at one of its edges and nicked his finger. He quickly bandaged it, not wanting to be caught bleeding in front of his enemy.

He checked his watch again.

Mephisto appeared before him singing, "Tiiiiiime, is on my siiiide…"

He was dressed in an impeccably tailored white suit. It was very Midgardian. Loki wondered if demons had an even greater influence on humans than the Asgardians did, or if it was the other way around.

His red-eyed gaze drifted to Loki's cut finger, the shattered glass, and back to his face.

Mephisto asked, "Do you have what I want?"

Loki said, "I'll give you the Casket, but I want you to sign a contract of my own first."

He handed him a roll of paperwork. The demon sneered, took it and sat in Loki's chair. He took out a cigar and lit it with his finger.

Loki said, "There is no smoking allowed in Asgard."

"I don't care what you allow."

He unrolled the paperwork and started to read, "I swear that in exchange for the return of the Casket of Ancient Winters and not revealing Odin's true identity, I will release any previous claims to and will not create any new claims on the souls of Loki Frigasson and any other resident of Asgard…honestly Loki, do you really care about saving the rest of Asgard? I've been listening to the chatter in the hallways and your subjects don't like you, or even you pretending to be Odin, back."

Loki had added the protections for the rest of Asgard partially out of guilt from sending their souls to Mephisto's brother, and partially because it felt like the right thing to do.

Loki said, "A good king always defends his subjects. I'm surprised you care about popularity, considering you're the demon the other demons don't even like."

Mephisto frowned, but kept reading, "I hereby consecrate this agreement in the name of The Dread Lord Dormmamu, King of the Underworld."

His frown grew deeper and he dropped the paper. "My father's name? You dare invoke my father's name? It is not to be used for mere contracts."

Loki smiled, knowing he was getting the upper hand. He let out one of his mirthless laughs.

Loki said, "You are not giving me much confidence in your intent to follow through on your end of our agreement."

"Where is the damn Casket?"

"If you do not sign, I won't show it to you."

Mephisto growled. It didn't sound human, but like something darker than primal. He scrawled his signature in blood red on the paper. His handwriting was scrawled and loopy, similar to the signatures of serial killers from Midgard.

Loki swiped the contract back from him as Mephisto picked up the wedding invitation.

The demon smirked, "You're marrying Karnilla, one of my brother's…girls. Isn't she old enough to be your mother? You want to be careful with older women. They tend to have children with birth defects like turning out to be werewolves, having scales or being half still-born."

"I'm sorry, but why would I take advice on marriage from you? Have you even been married?"

"Why would I need a wife when I can have slaves?"

Loki deadpanned, "Healthy attitude towards relationships. Out of curiosity, have you ever performed a single decent act in your entire eternal afterlife?"

"I ate Adolf Hitler."

"Did his soul taste like chicken?"

"Actually souls taste like bacon. Evildoers taste like that Canadian bacon crap. Innocents taste like donuts wrapped in bacon. You're making me hungry now. Where's my Casket?"

Loki snapped his fingers and his invisibility spell on the Casket blinked off. He gingerly pushed it over to Mephisto with the soles of his shoes, not wanting to touch it directly.

The demon put out his cigar on Loki's table, smiled and picked it up. Its blue light swirled into red from its creator's touch, as if it was being infected.

Mephisto said, "I remember it being heavier."

Loki said quickly, "It is fine. I assume this means whatever fate you believe connected me to you is changed."

"Can anyone's fate be changed? Are you familiar with the Greek Myths? Or do the so-called Norse Gods not read up on other culture's deities?"

"I have not read them yet."

"There's a famous myth called Oedipus the King. Oedipus was born into royalty. It was predicted that he would kill his father and marry his mother, so his father orders his son to be left to the elements to die. Sound familiar yet? He doesn't die, but is adopted by another king, who fails to tell him he's adopted. Oedipus does learn of the prophecy that he'll kill daddy and marry mommy, so he leaves the country to fight his fate. One day he meets his biological father, and kills him in an act of road rage, not knowing who he is. He goes on to marry his biological mother and have children with her. The truth comes out and his mother commits suicide and he blinds himself from shame. The more Oedipus tried to avoid his destiny the more he locked himself into it. Self-fulfilling prophecy and all."

Loki started to reconsider Karnilla's offer of having his fortune told. He didn't want Mephisto to think he was winning any mind games.

"This doesn't apply to me. I knew who Laufey was when I killed him, I have no biological connection to Odin, and my fiancée is not a Frost Giant so we couldn't possibly be related."

"The Oedipal Complex could be about any man who tries to supplant his father figure and win his mother's approval. When you're alone with Karnilla, do you ever call her Mommy?"

Loki refused to lose at psychological warfare.

Loki said, "It's sad that your life is so empty and meaningless you have to try to break up other people's marriages for your own entertainment. Have you done anything to surpass your father Dormammu? Everything you have from your powers to your death dimension are all just gifts that were handed to you. You're the equivalent of a human loser that's still living in his parent's basement at age thirty. At least I know I've earned my crown."

The Casket started to turn burgundy and then ink black, like a mood ring.

Mephisto said, "You're not as smart as you think you are, Loki. That contract you signed only protects your soul. I can still hurt you body and mind."

He aimed the Casket at Loki and fired it, but it made a sputtering noise and fizzled out. Mephisto smacked it and fired again, but once more it tuckered out.

Loki smiled. "I had a feeling you would try something like that. The contract said I was returning the Casket to you. It never specified I was returning it in working condition. I am Asgard's greatest Trickster."

He pointed Gungnir at Mephisto. "This weapon works completely. Now get out of my kingdom."

"You haven't seen the last of me."

"How original. Leave."

Mephisto disappeared from sight.

To Be Continued


End file.
